Grenadian Javelin World Champion Anderson Peters is convinced the upcoming edition of the tournament in Eugene, Oregon will be an open affair with several men capable of winning the title.

On Thursday, Peters threw 90.31 to win the event at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, ahead of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra of India who recorded 89.94 for a new personal best and national record.  Germany’s Julian Weber was third with 89.08 and The Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who has thrown the second-longest distance this season, was fourth.

It is Peters who has put together the most impressive resume this season, however, holding the world lead of 93.07 and winning 8 of 11 events he has taken part in so far.  The thrower, however, believes he is yet to discover his best form and admits he is not yet fully fit.

“I am not really in a great shape - I have suffered a back injury. It is still getting better but I hope to be back in really good shape soon,” Anderson said following the meet.

“Getting the 90m throw was really good, I was very much motivated by Neeraj to get a 90m throw because he started the competition with a PB and a NR and that was pretty good for the start,” he added.

Ahead of the event in Oregon, the thrower is hoping to be in top shape.

“I am thinking about it - not having the minor injuries and I hope when I am like 100 percent fit, I want to see what the result would be. When I am able to get the technique, to get the rhythm, and my body would be 100 percent ready, I really want to see the result,” Peters said.

“The more I compete, the better I become…In Eugene, it will be anybody´s game”

Anderson Peters set a new meet record in the javelin while there were podium places for Rushell Clayton and Kyron McMaster at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm, Sweden on Thursday.

2019 World Championship silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts produced a 14.35m effort to win the triple jump at the Paavo Nurmi Games, at the Paavo Nurmi Stadium in Turku, Finland, on Tuesday.

Ricketts, who has a season’s best of 14.43m, finished ahead of Slovenia’s Neja Filipic (14.26m) and the USA’s Tori Franklin (14.05m) at the meet, which is a part of the World Athletics Continental Tour-Gold.

Also in action was 2019 World Champion and current world leader in the Men’s javelin, Anderson Peters of Grenada. He produced a distance of 86.60m for third in the event behind Indian Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra who, in his first competition of the season, threw a personal best and national record 89.30 to finish second. Finland’s Oliver Helander threw a personal best 89.83m for the win.

Jamaican Olympic finalist Britany Anderson had to settle for second in the 100m hurdles in 12.59 after being narrowly out-dipped at the finish line by Nigeria’s reigning Commonwealth Games Champion Tobi Amusan (12.57). Nadine Visser of the Netherlands was third in 12.72.

Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Jamaica’s Britany Anderson pulled off impressive victories at the 2022 FBK Games Hengelo in The Netherlands on Monday.

2011 100m World champion Yohan Blake ran a season’s best 10.05 for second in the Men’s 100m at the Ostrava Golden Spike, at the Municipal Stadium, in the Czech Republic, on Tuesday.

The race was won by Great Britain’s Reece Prescod in a personal best 9.93 while fellow British teammate and former Kingston College sprinter Zharnel Hughes was third in the same time as Blake.

Jamaican Tokoyo Olympic finalist Candice McLeod ran a season’s best 50.38 for second in the Women’s 400m behind Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek who ran a personal best 50.16. Another Polish athlete, Anna Kielbasinska, was third in 50.38, equaling her own personal best.

Puerto Rican Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn sped to 12.56 for victory in the Women’s 100m hurdles ahead of Poland’s Pia Skrzyszwoska who ran a personal best 12.65 and the USA’s Nia Ali (12.69).

It was a Caribbean 1-2 in the Men’s Javelin as Grenadian 2019 World Champion Anderson Peters continued his fine form this season with a throw of 87.88m to win ahead of Trinidadian 2012 Olympic Champion Keshorn Walcott (84.77m). Germany’s Julian Weber was third with 83.92m.

Cuba’s Maykel Masso won the Men’s Long Jump with 8.14m ahead of the Czech Republic’s Radek Juska (8.11m) and France’s Augustin Bey (8.00m).

Grenada’s Anderson Peters set a new area record in the javelin with the second of his two first-ever throws over 90m, Shanieka Ricketts won the triple jump but there was a shock defeat for Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the 400m as the 2022 Diamond League season began in Doha on Friday.

Peters, the reigning world champion, broke his own national record on his opening throw of 88.96m but lost the lead when Jakub Vadlejch hurled the javelin out to a new world lead of 89.87m in the fourth round.

Spurred by the challenge, Peters uncorked his first ever 90m throw in the penultimate round, hitting a new personal best of 90.19m only to see Vadlejch surpass him once more with a personal best of 90.88m.

Undaunted the Grenadian, who once wanted to be a sprinter, flung his best-ever throw, 93.07m to put victory beyond Vadlejch’s reach. It was a new national record and personal best for Peters, and the fifth-best throw in history.

Meanwhile, Ricketts, the 2019 World Championships silver medalist produced a winning mark of 14.82m in challenging conditions caused by blustery winds as high as 6.5m/s that aided her winning jump.

Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuck took second place with her best effort of 14.73, her fourth jump of the competition that was helped by a gale force wind of 6.3m/s.

Dominica’s Theo LaFond took the final podium spot with her fourth-round jump of 14.43m assisted by a 3.6m/s wind.

Miller-Uibo last lost a 400m on this track back in 2019 when Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Nasser stunned the world with a 48.14 run at the World Championships. This time it was the Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist who stormed home in a season-best 51.20.

Stephenie-Ann McPherson trailed the imperious but clearly winded Bahamian up until the last few metres before overtaking her to clock a season-best 51.69. Miller-Uibo trudged across the line in 51.84 for third.

Barbados’ record holder Sada Williams (52.09) and Tokyo Olympic finalist Candice McLeod (52.37) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Shericka Jackson, who won the 100m at the National Stadium in Kingston last weekend, lost her first race of the outdoor season clocking 22.07 in the 200m after getting caught late by the USA’s Gabby Thomas, who ran a season-best 21.98 that equalled the meet record set by Allyson Felix back in 2015.

Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning world champion, clocked a smart 22.37 in her 200m opener, which was good enough for third place.

There was a blanket finish in the 100m hurdles that Kendra Harrison won in 12.43 but can count herself lucky to win. Brittany Anderson led off the last hurdle but appeared to stumble and faded to third in 12.44, the same time awarded to Nigeria Tobi Amusan who was awarded second place.

Bahamas’ Devyne Charlton was some distance back running 12.61 for fourth place while Megan Tapper hit the first hurdle and finished eighth in 12.92.

The 400m hurdles offered a glimpse of what to expect in the event this year as Alison Dos Santos, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist out-paced silver medallist Rai Benjamin down the home stretch to win in a world-leading 47.24, which was also a new meet record.

Benjamin was timed in 47.49.

The rest of the field was far behind but Thomas Barr of Ireland was the next best running 49.67 for third while Kyron McMaster finished fourth in 49.93.

Jaheel Hyde was fifth in 50.23.

Olympic medalists Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Hansle Parchment were impressive winners at the Continental Tour Gold meeting at the Stadion Slaski in Chorzow, Poland on Sunday.

Fraser-Pryce, the Olympic 100m silver medalist, who was running her first race since her lifetime best 10.60 in Lausanne, Switzerland on August 26, sped to a meet record 10.81 to win by daylight over Swiss athlete Mujinga Kambundji who stopped the clock at 11.08.

Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (11.15) was further back in third. Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye ran 11.19 for fourth.

Parchment, the Olympic champion, recovered from an average start to overhaul Devon Allen and win in 13.26. Allen clipped the last hurdle but managed to finish second in 13.37 while Damion Thomas was third in 13.50.

The women’s sprint hurdles event was won by Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan in 12.64 ahead of Olympic bronze medalist Megan Tapper who clocked 12.75. The USA’s Christina Clemons was third in 12.92.

Jaheel Hyde ended up on the podium after finished third in the 400m hurdles in 48.89. Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos was an easy winner in 48.50 over Turkey’s Yasmani Copello, who ran 48.80.

Candace McLeod, a finalist over 400m in Tokyo finished third in the 400m. Among the leaders up to 300m, the Jamaican faded to third clocking 51.88. The Polish pair of Natalia Kaczmarec and Anna Keilbasinska took the top two places in 50.70 and 51.19, respectively.

Meanwhile, Anderson Peters threw 83.61m for a second-place finish in the men’s javelin throw. However, he was no match for Germany’s Johannes Vetter, who flung the spear 89.60m for victory.

Fedrick Dacres took third place in the men’s discus. He threw a best mark of 64.91m that was bettered by Lithuania’s Andrius Gudzious (65.89m) and Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh (66.65m)

Andre Degrasse was an easy winner in the 200m in 20.21. His compatriot Jerome Blake took second place in 20.32. Olympic relay gold medalist Filippo Tortu was third in 20.40.

Kirani James heads a six-member Grenada team to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

James, the 2012 Olympic champion, and Grenada’s first Olympic gold medalist is one of four track and field athletes named including 2019 World Champion Anderson Peters, Meleni Rodney, the 2014 Youth Olympics bronze medalist and veteran decathlete Linden Victor.

Two swimmers – Kimberly Ince (100m backstroke) and Delron Felix (100m freestyle) – have also been named to the team. The IOC awarded Grenada two wild card places for swimming.

The accompanying coaching staff will include, James’ coach Harvey Glance as well as throws coach Paul Phillip, decathlon coach Joshua Priester and pole vault coach Thomas Fitzsimon. Valencia Nathaly Sihera is the swimming coach.

Anderson Peters, the 2019 World Championships javelin gold medalists believes it is well worth the risk travelling to Japan to compete at the Olympic Games this summer, despite the threat posed to his safety by the Covid-19 virus.

Anderson Peters, the 2019 World javelin champion, is thankful that the Olympics were postponed from 2020 because of the pandemic as it means he now has a legitimate shot at winning a medal, perhaps gold, when the Games convene in Tokyo, Japan this coming summer.