Stephanie Ann Mcpherson anchored Jamaica to fourth.
World Athletics
Jamaica was the only Caribbean team to secure a lane in the final of the 4x400m Mixed Relay as they were dragged in qualifying by United States, which registered the first World Record of the Paris Olympic Games at the Stade de France on Friday.
Running from lane six in heat one, the Americans—Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, and Kaylyn Brown—left the field in their wake to stop the clock in 3:07.41, bettering their own previous mark of 3:08.80 set at last year’s World Championships in Budapest. Poland’s Olympic Record of 3:09.87 set in Tokyo, was also erased.
France (3:10.60) and Belgium (3:10.74) were second and third with national record times, while Jamaica’s quartet of Raheem Hayles, Junelle Bromfield, Zandrion Barnes, and Stephanie-Ann McPherson also clocked a national record of 3:11.66 for fourth. They progressed as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers, along with Poland (3:11.43).
Bahamas struggled throughout and ended at the back of the pack in 3:14.58. The same is true about Dominican Republic (3:18.89) in heat two.
That heat was won by Great Britain in a national record 3:10.61, ahead of Netherlands (3:10.81) and Italy (3:11.59).
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Cheptegei sets Olympic record in 10,000m triumph
Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei set a new Olympic record as he claimed gold in the men's 10,000-metre final in Paris.
Cheptegei, the world record holder, won Friday's race at the Stade de France with a time of 26 minutes and 43.14 seconds.
The 27-year-old hung back for the majority of the race, but timed a late push to perfection with three laps remaining.
Having hit the front with around 500m remaining, Cheptegei held on to beat Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi to the main prize.
Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell through to men’s shot put final in Paris
Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell successfully made it through to the final of the men’s shot put on day two of Athletics competition at the Paris Olympics in the Stade de France on Friday.
Campbell, competing in the first qualifying group, produced only one legal throw measuring 21.05m which was good enough 10th overall in qualifying among the two groups.
The 28-year-old has a season’s best 22.16m done at the Madrid World Continental Indoor tour meet in February.
Campbell is also currently Jamaica’s national record holder with his 22.22m done in Madrid in 2023.
Italian Leonardo Fabri led all qualifiers to the final in Paris with 21.76 with Czechia's Tomas Stanek (21.61m), Americans Payton Otterdahl (21.52m), World record holder Ryan Crouser (21.49m) and New Zealand's Tom Walsh (21.48m) and Jacko Gill (21.35m) rounding out the top six.
Also joining Campbell in the final will be USA's Joe Kovacs (21.24m), Mexico's Uziel Munoz (21.22m), Nigeria's Cornnell Enekwechi (21.13m), Italy's Zane Weir (21.00m) and Norway's Marcus Thomsen (20.81m).
Ja's Goule-Toppin, Cuba's Gaspar, St Vincent and the Grenadines' Maloney through to women's 800m semis; other Caribbean athletes to contest Repechage round
Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines secured their spots in the women’s 800m semi-finals at the Paris Olympic Games after both ran well-paced races to advance from their respective heats at the Stade de France on Friday.
Goule-Toppin comfortably won the sixth and final heat in 1:58.66 in a gate-to-wire performance. She was followed by Australia’s Claudia Hollingsworth (1:58.77) and Kenya’s Lilian Odira (1:58.83).
Prior to that, Maloney clocked a new national record of 1:58.23 for third place in heat five, behind Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.90) and Kenya’s Mary Moraa (1:57.95).
Earlier, Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie comfortably topped heat one in a flat 2:00.00, ahead of fast-finishing Slovakian Gabriela Gajanova (2:00.29) and American Juliette Whittaker (2:00.45).
Cuba’s Daily Cooper Gaspar proved better than the rest in heat two, as she won in 1:58.88. South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso (1:59.84) and Switzerland’s Rachel Pellaud (2:00.07) took the other qualifying spots.
In heat three, Ethiopia’s Worknesh Mesele finished tops in a personal best of 1:58.07, ahead of Frenchwoman Renelle Lamote (1:58.59) and Great Britain’s 17-year-old prodigy Phoebe Gill (1:58.83). Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza placed sixth in 2:00.36 and will contest the Repechage round.
Another Great Britain stalwart, Keely Hodkinson (1:59.31), outclassed rivals in heat four, with American Nia Akins (1:59.67) and Benin’s Noelie Yarigo (1:59.68) also progressing. Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey was eighth in that heat in a season’s best 2:03.47 and will have to contest the Repechage round for another shot at the semi-final.
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