Ackeem Blake ran a brand new personal best of 9.92s while winning the 100m at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday.
Shafiqua Maloney from St Vincent and the Grenadines and Sean Bailey of Jamaica were also winners at the meet where Antigua’s Cejhae Greene and Jamaica’s Nathon Allen ran season-best times in the 100m and 400m, respectively. Kimberly Williamson also won the high jump in a new personal best performance that makes her the second best Jamaican in the world this year.
The 20-year-old Blake, who along with Oblique Seville, is one of Jamaica’s most promising prospects this year, equalled his previous personal best of 10.08 in the preliminary round to be second fastest heading into the final behind Greene who qualified with a quick 10.06.
However, Blake sped a new lifetime best in the final to finish ahead of the Antiguan, who ran 10.02 for second place. The USA’s Kendall Williams was third in a season-best 10.05.
Maloney clocked a season-best 51.84 to comfortably win the 400m ahead of the USA’s Brittany Aveny (52.22) and Canada’s Kyra Constantine (52.26) who were locked in a hard-fought battle for second place.
Bailey won the men’s race in a season-best 45.18, just edging Jamaican compatriot Allen, who finished in 45.21, also a season’s best time and Bryce Deadmon of the USA, who was third in 45.23.
In the 400m hurdles for women, Andrenette Knight became the fastest Jamaican in the world this year, clocking a personal best of 53.39 but finished second to World Champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin, who blazed a new world lead of 51.61.
Gianna Woodruff of Panama was third in 54.63.
In action in the field, Williamson cleared a massive new personal best of 1.93m to win the high jump. The former Edwin Allen and Kansas State jumper was three centimetres better than the USA pair of Rachel McCoy (1.90m) and Jelena Moore (1.85m), who were second and third, respectively.
Meanwhile, Lloydricia Cameron threw a season-best 18.01m for a second place finish in the shot put that was won by Jessica Ramsey with her best throw of 18.26m.
Haley Teel of the USA (17.31) and Portious Warren of Trinidad and Tobago (17.23), were third and fourth, respectively.
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Hibbert produces world leading 17.75m to take top spot at Racers Grand Prix
World Under-20 record holder Jaydon Hibbert produced a world leading 17.75m to win the triple jump at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Hibbert opened his competition with 16.45m in the first round before going out to 17.14m in the second round, giving the National Stadium crowd a sign of things to come.
The third round saw him produce a then-meet record of 17.30m before, in round four, he produced a stadium record and world leading 17.75m to secure the victory.
O’Brien Wasome produced 16.64m for second while Jordan Scott was third with 16.06m.
“I was satisfied with the third and fourth jump of the series,” Hibbert said after the competition.
Seville outduels Lyles to claim 100m title at Racers Grand Prix; Alfred runs personal best to claim title in women’s equivalent
Oblique Seville and Julien Alfred produced a pair of scintillating performances to claim the 100m titles at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Seville produced a personal best and world leading 9.82 to claim the men’s race ahead of American World champion Noah Lyles and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.
Lyles’s time in second was a season’s best 9.85 while Omanyala ran 10.02 in third.
“I came out here in front of my Jamaican fans looking for a personal best and to get it today means a lot to me,” Seville said after the race.
“I just came out here to deliver. You’re always going to have ups and downs with the wind but you just have to run through it,” he added.
“As long as I’m healthy, expect good things,” was Seville’s response when asked about what fans can expect from him at Jamaica’s Olympic trials set for June 27-30.
In the women’s equivalent, St. Lucian World Indoor champion Julien Alfred sped to a personal best and meet record 10.78 to win ahead of Krystal Sloley who broke 11 seconds for the first time with 10.99 in second and Shashalee Forbes who ran a season’s best 11.05 in third.
Alfred says she didn’t expect to run that fast.
“I wanted to come out here and just work on execution. I didn’t expect that time and that’s why I was smiling so much,” she said.
Smikle produces 65.65m to win discus throw at Racers Grand Prix
Reigning Jamaican national champion Traves Smikle took the win in the men’s discus throw at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.
Smikle, a five-time national champion, produced 65.65m to win ahead of Samoa’s Alex Rose who threw 65.02m and American Reggie Jagers III who threw 64.64m.
Despite the win, Smikle admitted that his performance wasn’t up to his usual world class standards.
“I wasn’t my best today based on my standard and how I know I am but, at the same time, I’m in a competition where I have to go out there and do it, I’m competing against some of the best in the world and I am in my home town so I had to deliver,” Smikle said.
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