Reigning Olympic 400m champion Steven Gardiner continued his steady return from injury with a fourth-place finish in the men’s 200m at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, on Friday. The Bahamian star, who has endured a frustrating run of injuries that disrupted his medal chances at the last three global championships—including the 2024 Paris Olympics—clocked 20.40 seconds to win his heat but ended up fourth overall when times from both sections were combined.

Gardiner, running in the first of two heats, faced a headwind of -1.0 m/s. The fastest times of the day came from the second heat, where Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh stormed to victory in 20.07 with a tailwind of +1.3 m/s. Javonte' Harding was second in 20.19, followed by Demarius Smith in 20.29.

In the women’s long jump, Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith produced a best leap of 6.54m (+1.2) to secure fourth place overall in a highly competitive field. Smith, a Tokyo Olympian, opened with 6.41m before registering her top jump in the third round. She was consistent through her series but fell just shy of a podium spot.

Florida junior Anthaya Charlton claimed victory with a lifetime best of 6.82m (+0.6), edging out Tacoria Humphrey of Illinois who jumped 6.73m (-1.7). World Indoor silver medalist Jasmine Moore of Puma rounded out the top three with a 6.56m (-0.9) effort.

British Virgin Islands’ Olympian Chantel Malone also competed in the event and placed seventh overall. Her best mark of 6.38m (-1.1) came in the fourth round, contributing to a solid but unspectacular series that included five legal jumps.

The Tom Jones Invitational continues through Saturday with several Caribbean athletes expected to feature prominently across sprint and field events.