The Caribbean experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the men’s 60m hurdles and women’s 60m semi-finals during the opening session of day two at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on Saturday.
Jamaica’s Demario Prince and Jerome Campbell ensured the region will have a presence in the men’s hurdles final, but heartbreak followed in the women’s sprints, where no Caribbean athlete advanced.
Prince was quick out of the blocks in the first semi-final, gliding over the barriers smoothly and taking the win in 7.60 seconds. His performance not only secured his spot in the final but also signaled his readiness to challenge the best in the world. China’s Weibo Qin followed him across the line to also book a place in the showdown.
Campbell had a slightly tougher path running in the third semi-final, as he clocked 7.61 seconds to finish third behind reigning champion, American Grant Holloway (7.48s), and France’s Wilhem Belocian (7.51s). Despite not securing an automatic spot, Campbell’s time was quick enough to qualify as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers, setting up a tantalizing final with two Jamaicans in the mix.
Also advancing to the final are China’s Junxi Liu (7.51s) and Italy’s Lorenzo Simonelli (7.55s).
It was a different story for Barbados’ Nikkolia Kennedy, who saw his championship hopes dashed when he pulled up after clearing the second hurdle and did not finish.
However, the women’s 60m dash painted a picture of disappointment for the region. In semi-final one, Caribbean hopes faded quickly as Joella Lloyd of Antigua and Barbuda and Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison both clocked 7.25 seconds, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago crossed the line in sixth at 7.31 seconds, while Camille Rutherford of The Bahamas brought up the rear in eighth with 7.41 seconds.
In the second semi-final, Kishawna Niles of Barbados placed sixth, while Jamaica’s Jodean Williams showed promise in semi-final three, clocking 7.22 seconds for fourth place—just outside the qualifying spots. The British Virgin Islands’ Beyonce Defreitas also missed out with a time of 7.38 seconds.
Meanwhile, Dominican standout Thea Lafond-Gadson failed to retain the women's triple jump title, as she placed fourth with a season's best leap of 14.18m. The event was won by Cuba's Leyanis Perez Hernandez with a world-leading leap of 14.93m, ahead of compatriot Liadagmis Povea (14.57m) and Spain's Ana Peleteiro-Compaore (14.29m).