Jackass sey de worl' no level. Jackass sey de Olympics deh pon a 'hiya level' an it a mek Jumaica gwaan betta den heva.

Every time I see a Jamaican sprinter streaking down the track at the Olympics in Beijing, China, I think about Elephant Man's song Higher Level. Yeah, Jackass knows that the dance Usain Bolt did after he won the 100m was the No Linga (oonu tink Jackass dey back a time?) and the ladies in the 100m should do the Sweep, because that is just what happened in the race.

But the Higher Level comes to mind because although the world is not level, sometimes there is a readjustment to a 'higher level'.

As there is at the 2008 Olympics, because the Jamaican athletes are now running on a playing field (or, rather, a track) that is a lot more level than it was before.

One of the local television commentators, a former Olympian, said it after the first, second and second finish in the women's 100m, that what we had just seen and celebrated was something that could have happened a long time ago. But there was the small matter of a lot of drugs.

Dopers

Remember Marion Jones? Remember Justin Gatlin? Remember Tim Montgomery? Those were the Americans who got caught. Others have just got slow. Others have just disappeared (like those two Greek sprinters at the Athens Olympics who went on a great bike ride) and got 'injured' (remember shotputter CJ Hunter limping like a ballerina whose shoes were too tight?)

So, we strongly suspect, the track and field are simply getting more level.

And it is not as if they have not been testing Jamaica's athletes. Heck, Asafa Powell even complained that they were drawing so much blood from him that he feared they were weakening him. Plus, we know that the medallists will be 'jukked' over and over and over again, in season, out of season and in the mating season.

Trust jackass. Dem nah fin' nutten. If they do, chances are it will be an overseas-based athlete (as has happened before).

So, what has passed and gone that is unlevel we can do nothing about. But now that drug testing is getting to a 'higher level', true talent is shining through.

Jackass sey de worl' no level. Jackass sey we ave de great atletic levella dem roun' ere. Yam! Dasheen! Coco! Cassava!!!!!