400M

The 24-year-old Williams, the 2022 World Championships bronze medallist, clocked a championship record of 49.90 to complete a commanding performance.

It was the first time a woman was winning the title in under 50 seconds as Williams shattered the previous championship record of 50.10 set by Botswana’s Amantle Montsho at the 2010 Games in India.

England won the other two medals on offer as Victoria Ohuruogu ran a personal best 50.72 for the silver while her compatriot Jodie Williams ran a season-best 51.26 to claim the bronze medal.

Williams’ gold, was the second medal for Barbados in the 400m as Johnathan Jones ran 44.89 to take the bronze medal in the men’s race that was won by Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga, who produced an electrifying run over the final 120m which saw him zip by England’s Matthew Hudson-Smith with less than 15m to go.

The Zambian clocked a personal best of 44.66 with Hudson-Smith the World Championships bronze medalist finishing in 44.81.

Meanwhile, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas won the silver medal in the 100m hurdles final. The Bahamian clocked 12.58 to finish runner-up to World Champion Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, who recovered from an average start to storm to a new championship record of 12.30, to follow up on her world record of 12.12 set at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon last month.

She shaved 0.35 off Brigitte Foster-Hylton’s championship record of 12.65.

England’s Cindy Sember ran 12.59 for the bronze medal.

In the field, Bermuda won their second medal of these Games when Jah-Nhai Perinchief jumped 16.92m to claim the bronze medal in the triple jump.

India’s Eldhose Paul won the gold medal with his jump of 17.03m while his compatriot Abdulla Aboobacker Naragolintevid won the silver with his effort of 17.02m.

Maloney, known primarily for her prowess in middle-distance events, delivered a remarkable performance in the 400m, setting a new meet record with a blistering time of 50.94 seconds. This stunning achievement surpassed the previous meet record of 51.47 seconds set by Jamaica's Nickisha Pryce at the 2023 edition of the event.

The 25-year-old athlete's triumph marked a significant milestone in her outdoor season, as she had not competed in the 400m distance since July 2022 when she clocked a time of 52.35 seconds. Maloney's outstanding performance in Fayetteville also shattered her personal best of 51.72 seconds, achieved back in March 2021.

Reflecting on her remarkable achievement, Maloney expressed joy and gratitude for her performance, highlighting the challenges and rewards of returning to the 400m distance after a hiatus.

"One thing I do not miss about the 400 is them ashy knees," Maloney jokingly remarked after her race. "Back after two years with a new outdoor PR! Finally, a part of the 50. Club. To God be the glory! Without him I am nothing, with him, I am all that you see."

In a race that featured fierce competition, Iowa State's Rachel Joseph secured second place with a personal best time of 51.63 seconds, while Omolara Ogunmakinju of Harding University finished closely behind in third place, also achieving a lifetime best of 51.90 seconds.

The John McDonnell Invitational also a witnessed solid performance from Jamaican sprint hurdler Phillip Lemonious, who claimed victory in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.89 seconds. Brevin Simms of Arkansas and William Spencer, both representing the host Razorbacks, finished closely behind Lemonious with identical times of 13.99 seconds, securing the second and third positions, respectively.

The peerless Bahamian ran a world-leading 49.08s to win the one-lap event at the USATF Grand Prix, Oregon Relays in Eugene, destroying a quality field in the process. It was easy then to understand her joy.

“God, I thank you. Opened up with a 400 this weekend 49.08, second fastest opener and fourth fastest time,” she said on Instagram.

“Shout out to my training partner for also running her fastest season opener this week,” she said in reference to Gordon-Powell’s winning 50.84-second run at the 2021 LSU Alumni Gold meet held at the Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Miller-Uibo continued: “We’re in a good place and I am excited to see how the rest of the season goes. Now it’s back to training.”

The Bahamian, whose winning time was a meet record and facility record, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, were the only two Caribbean athletes who won in Eugene.

She was completely dominant in the race in which the USA’s Lynna Irby finished in second place in 50.28 while Jessica Beard was third 50.38.

Richards was also in good form in the Men’s 200m that he won in a season-best 20.26.

The USA’s Josephus Lyles 20.46 to finish second.

Both were metres clear of Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor, who ran a season-best 20.73 for third.

Trayvon Bromell won the Men’s event in 10.01 over Noah Lyles 10.17 and Liberia’s Emmanuel Matadi 10.19.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.46, finishing ahead of Jamaica’s Britanny Anderson, who ran a season-best 12.82 and Taliyah Brooks of the United States who clocked 12.83.

Donald Scott of the United States won the Men’s triple jump over Jamaica’s Clive Pullen and many time global champion, Christian Taylor. Scott jumped 16.89m while Pullen got a season-best 16.55m. Taylor was third with 16.52m.

The Women’s shot put was badly affected by rain that caused some of the throwers to slip and fall. However, it ended with the USA’s Chase Ealey winning with a mark of 18.93m. Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd put 18.46 for second place.

Jessica Ramsay of the United States threw 18.40m for third.

The 32-year-old runner finished just outside of the medal places in Tokyo, after being caught and passed close to the finish line by USA legend Alisson Felix who captured the final podium spot.  The race was won in dominant fashion by the Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller-Uibo with second place going to the Dominica Republic’s Marileidy Paulino.

McPherson’s finishing time of 49.61 was much slower than her season-best of 49.34, which had been recorded in the event's semi-final.  The athlete collapsed violently sobbing after the event.  Francis admits that the athlete’s time in the final was a bit of a surprise but believes she is poised to recover and post exceptional performances in the upcoming season.

“It was disappointing because I thought she would have run 48 high in the 400m (Olympic final),” Francis told Sportsmax.Tv in a recent interview.

“She is, however, young enough and determined enough that she will be able to try again,” he added.

McPherson, the event’s reigning national champion, returned to training with the majority of the club’s athletes earlier this week.

The marquee event, however, was the 200m and it lived up to expectations.

The Namibian, the Olympic silver medalist and World U20 champion, running on from behind, surged past Shericka Jackson with 30m to go and won in 21.84. Jackson was again under 22 seconds, clocking 21.95 while Dina Asher-Smith finished third in a season-best 22.03.

The much-talked-about Sha’Carri Richardson was never a factor. She trailed off the curve and was passed down the stretch by Mboma and Asher-Smith to finish fourth in 22.45.

Mboma was elated at getting her first Diamond League win.

“I was really excited to run here in Brussels. It was my first Diamond League experience and to be able to win in such a strong field is great,” she said.

“It has been a very tough and busy season with the Olympics and the World junior championships, but I'm still in good shape. I ran almost a personal best today, so that pleases me. I still have one race to go in Zurich and after that, I will take some rest.”

Jackson, meantime, was disappointed at not winning enjoyed the competition.

“I´m happy with my race but I really wanted to win today,” she said.

“I had a good start so I´m happy with that but there´s still room for improvement. I was able to accelerate towards the end but couldn´t get the win. I loved to race here and the feeling was good.”

Similarly, Asher-Smith was happy with her season-best.

“I´m so happy with my race! I ran a season's best and had a good feeling. It felt so good to be here and to be able to run this fast,” said the Brit, who was unable to compete in the 200m because of a hamstring injury.

“I worked so hard after my injury to return and feel strong again. I really love to run here in Brussels. I still have a few races to go so I hope I can improve myself and feel good. The relaxed feeling is back so I´m very happy with that.”

Goule, a finalist at the Tokyo Olympics, ran a strategic race behind the pacemaker but then assumed the lead with 300m to go.

She would hold that lead until the end to win her first Diamond League race in 1:58.09, holding off Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, who clocked 1:58.16 for second place. Jemma Reekie also of Great Britain was third in 1:58.77.

´I’m extremely happy with my win today! I´m just so excited and happy to win my first Diamond League race,” she said.

“I have to thank God and my coach for believing in me. To race here today, especially against these girls. They are all so strong. I have a lot of respect for Keely Hodgkinson. She´s so good and humble, a very good athlete and still so young. So I´m very happy I could still sprint and take the win. The big crowd today definitely helped with that. You just feel everyone´s excitement for today. I hope I can win in Zurich as well but it will be hard.”

Earlier, Megan Tapper was third in the 100m hurdles but there was misfortune for Danielle Williams, who appeared to suffer an injury and limped across the line in eighth. She was eventually disqualified.

Tapper, the Olympic bronze medalist, got off to a fast start but was eventually caught by Tobi Amusan and Nadine Visser, who crossed the line together and were credited with 12.69. Tapper clocked 12.77 for her second podium finish in the Diamond League this season.

There was no Karsten Warholm or Rai Benjamin in the 400m hurdles but it was no less dramatic as Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos and the British Virgin Islands’ Kyron McMaster engaged in a stirring battle that the latter looked like winning after seven hurdles.

However, the Brazilian eased into the lead over the final hurdle and held it to win in 48.24. McMaster finished second in 48.31.

Jaheel Hyde was in position to finish on the podium but seemed to run out of steam down the stretch and was unable to hold off a fast-finishing Yasmani Copello of Turkey, who took third in 48.45. Hyde had to settle for fourth in 48.91.

The men’s 400m was won by American Michael Cherry in a new personal best and meet record 44.03 leaving Kirani James (44.51) and Isaac Makwala (44.83) in his wake.

So far this season, Jackson has only competed in the 60m where she ran a personal best 7.04 to finish sixth at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March.

Jackson, who lowered her 100m personal best to 10.76 last season, was also a bronze medallist in the 400m at the 2015 Beijing World Championships, 2016 Rio Olympics and 2019 Doha World Championships. The former Vere Technical standout hasn’t run a 400m race since a sixth-place finish at the Gateshead Diamond League on May 23 last year.

However, she will be competing in Section B of the Women’s 400m and her main competition could come from Candice McLeod, a finalist at the Tokyo Olympics and Rushell Clayton, the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist in the 400m hurdles.

Tajay Gayle, the 2019 World long jump champion will open his season facing strong competition from Shawn-D Thompson and Emmanuel Archibald.

Elsewhere in the field events, Fedrick Dacres, the silver medallist from the 2019 World Championships will compete in the discus alongside Chad Wright and Traves Smikle.

The Men’s 100m is also expected to be an exciting affair.

There will be five semi-finals and then  A, B and C finals that will likely feature Yohan Blake, Zharnel Hughes, Oblique Seville, Tyquendo Tracey, Ackeem Blake, Jevaughn Minzie and Antonio Watson.

The meet is expected to run from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm Jamaica time.

Smith needed only one legal attempt to produce 6.86m (3.4 m/s) and advance to the NCAA Championships set for June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Oregon.

The 22-year-old Texas junior produced 6.88m to win the NCAA title last year.

On the track, reigning national champion Nickisha Pryce ran 50.31 to secure her spot in Saturday’s 400m quarterfinals.

The Arkansas senior became the second-fastest Jamaican ever in the distance when she ran 49.32 to win the SEC Outdoor title on May 11.

Jamaican San Diego State sophomore Shaquena Foote (51.35), Jamaican Arkansas junior Joanne Reid (52.54) and Guyanese Kansas junior Deshana Skeete (52.70) also made it through to the quarters.

A pair of Jamaican Texas standouts, sophomore Dejanea Oakley and senior Kevona Davis, advanced to the quarterfinals in the 200m.

Oakley, who recently won the SEC 200m title, ran 22.73 while Davis ran 22.97.

It ended with St Jago’s Gregory Prince running a lifetime best of 45.99 to win the Class I Boys event in dominating fashion over Deandre Watkin of Jamaica College (46.50) and Shemar Palmer of Manchester High (46.79).

Marcinho Rose of Kingston College won the Class II race in  48.03 for what appeared to be a Pyrrhic victory as he went down injured after crossing the finishing line ahead of teammate Tahj-Marques White (48.39) and Enrique Webster of  St. Elizabeth Technical who clocked 48.90 for the bronze medal.

Troydian Flemmings of Manchester High ran his heart out to win the Class III race in a personal best of 50.25. He was well clear of Samuel Creary of Jamaica College, who ran 51.06 for the silver medal. Demarco Bennett of Excelsior High was third in 51.12.

The girls’ races were just as thrilling as Dejanea Oakley of Clarendon College followed up her victory last year in Class II with a brand new personal best of 51.81 to win the title in her first year in Class I. Oneika McAnnuff Hydel High, the silver medalist in Class II once again won silver in 52.38. Kaylia Kelly of Vere  Technical (53.59) won the bronze medal.

Abigail Campbell of Ferncourt High pulled off a late run down the stretch to win the Class II 400m in a personal best 53.75 ahead of Natasha Fox of  Edwin Allen High (54.26) and Alliah Baker of Hydel High (54.44).

It was an all-rural school sweep of the 400m for the girls as Sabrina Dockery of Lacovia High won gold in the Class III event in 54.76. She finished ahead of the Holmwood Technical pair of Rosalee Gallimore Holmwood Technical and Abriana Wright, who ran 55.47 and 55.79, for second and third, respectively.

In the field, Zachary Campbell of Jamaica College won the Class II Boys shot put with a massive throw of 19.13m. He was more than two metres better than Rajay Hemmings of St Catherine High who put 16.74m. Calabar’s Matthew Clarke won the bronze medal with 15.63m.

Jamaica’s Kemba Nelson of Oregon and Alfred’s Texas teammate Kevona Davis also qualified for Eugene with times of 10.85 and 11.04, both also wind-aided, respectively.

Davis will also contest the 200m in Eugene after running 22.49 to qualify second fastest in the West Region behind teammate Kynnedy Flannel (22.40).

Jamaicans Stacey Ann Williams of Texas (50.66) and Charokee Young of Texas A&M (50.80) were the fastest qualifiers in the Women’s 400m.

Barbados' Jonathan Jones of Texas and Jamaica's Jevaughn Powell of UTEP ran 44.85 and 44.87, respectively, to be the top two qualifiers in the Men's equivalent. 44.87 is a new personal best for Powell, the former Edwin Allen and Kingston College standout.

Another Bajan, Rivaldo Leacock of New Mexico, ran a new personal best 49.63 to advance in the Men's 400m hurdles.

Texas Tech's Demisha Roswell was the second fastest qualifier in the Women's 100m hurdles with 12.78 while Baylor’s Ackera Nugent ran 12.93 to also advance.

Former Hydel High and current Texas A&M star Lamara Distin and Texas' Trinidadian Olympian Tyra Gittens both cleared 1.81m to progress in the Women's high jump while Gittens also produced 6.40 to advance in the long jump. Former Herbert Morrison athlete Daniella Anglin, now a freshman at South Dakota, also cleared 1.81m to advance in the high jump. 

 Bahamian Kansas State senior Kyle Alcine achieved a personal best 2.15m to advance in the Men's high jump.

Reflecting on her journey, Williams shared, "This is my first individual Olympic team. I’ve been in fourth position for like three years. Last year I had an injury, so I’m happy and excited." Her perseverance and dedication have paid off, and she is now set to represent Jamaica on the grand stage of the Paris Olympics.

Williams clocked a season-best time of 50.56 seconds at the championships, inching closer to breaking the coveted 50-second barrier. She remains optimistic about her chances, stating, "I feel like it’s 100 percent possible. The aim was to make top three and, honestly, once it was top three that’s all that matters, for now." With her sights set on further improvement, Williams is determined to get even faster in time for Paris.

In addition to her individual ambitions, Williams is excited about Jamaica’s prospects in the 4x400m relay. She believes that the team, comprising herself, national champion Nickisha Pryce (50.01), and third-place finisher Junelle Bromfield (51.24), has a bright future ahead. "The future is very bright for the quarter-milers, finally. I am excited to be on the 4x400m with these ladies. It’s just exciting overall," she shared enthusiastically.

When asked about the possibility of winning medals in both her individual event and the relay, Williams responded, "I am, but I feel like for the 4x400m, we don’t know what colour yet. I think we will have to wait until Paris to know what colour it is." Her confidence in the relay team's potential is palpable, and she remains hopeful that they will be among the medals in Paris this summer.

Gardiner, who has been plagued by injuries over the past few years—including missing the 2022 World Championships and suffering another injury in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Championships in Budapest—cited another injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the Paris Olympics.

 However, Davis publicly criticized athletes, including Gardiner, for what she perceived as a lack of transparency regarding their physical conditions leading up to the Games. Her remarks did not sit well with Gardiner, who took to social media to express his frustration.

 "To Pauline Davis, please don't ever speak on me ever because you've never been an influential person to many of us athletes," Gardiner began in his post, clearly stung by the criticism.

 He went on to suggest that Davis's comments were not only unwarranted but also harmful. "You would love to see us suffer, and it shows," he added, directly addressing her public rebuke.

Gardiner continued, emphasizing that Davis was not present during his warm-up and therefore had no basis for her criticism. "You weren't in attendance during my warm-up, but you were the first to broadcast your loud and wrong remarks to spread lies and propaganda, which is pure evilness," he wrote.

Despite his anger, Gardiner concluded his message with a more conciliatory tone, saying, "But you'll be just alright. I'll pray for you just like others."

Packing winds of more than 185 mph, Dorian slammed into the Bahamas on August 24, 2019, and remained over the islands until September 10, just about two weeks before the start of the World Championships in Doha.

It eventually left behind damage estimated at more than USD$3 billion and hundreds dead on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama in what was the worst natural disaster to hit those islands.

Speaking on the World Athletics podcast, the lanky Bahamian, who lives and trains in Florida, said it was a difficult period.

“When the storm came it was a very hard time for me. I didn’t get to train for four days because my family, I couldn’t hear word from them and I just didn’t know what to do, but my coach, he was the main person encouraging me,” said Gardiner, who also revealed that his coach helped him determine whether his family was safe or not.

“There were like some safe lists on the internet. Everybody who is safe from the storm, at a shelter or something they would put their name on the list so he was helping me look through the lists, trying to call their cell phones, reach out to them…as soon as I heard from them I went right back to work.”

With his worries eased, Gardiner said he received messages from friends and family back home that served to motivate him as he set about the task of becoming world champion. “I wanted to give them more than my best. I wanted to give them everything I had and that’s what I did in bringing home the gold medal for them,” he said.

On the night of October 4, 2019, mere weeks after Dorian had destroyed sections of his home country, Gardiner won the 400m in impressive fashion.

Running a measured race up the 200m mark, the soft-spoken Bahamian unleashed his full power to pull away from the field and win in a new national record of 43.48s, the sixth-fastest time in history.

Anthony Zambrano of Colombia was second in a new personal best and Area Record of 44.15 while Fred Kerley of the United States, the pre-race favourite, finished third in 44.17.

The victory, he said, has whet his appetite for more success.

“I just wanted to go out there and give of my best and bring home a medal, to bring home the gold medal was the icing on the cake and it’s something that I want to do again,” he said.

The race featured four other Caribbean athletes that included 2011 World Champion Kirani James from Grenada, Machel Cedenio of Trinidad and Tobago as well as Akeem Bloomfield and Demish Gaye from Jamaica.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Gardiner of the Bahamas, was leading his semi-final heat when he winced in pain and fell to the track, his dreams of winning another world championship title dashed.

The 2019 world champion was widely anticipated to dominate the competition once again. However, fate had a different plan for him. This was a particularly bitter pill to swallow, considering he had missed out on defending his title in the previous championship due to UTE tendon inflammation.

Taking to his Instagram account, Gardiner candidly shared the nature of the injury he sustained during the crucial race. “Heartbroken but will not give up. Today (Tuesday) during my 400m semi-final I suffered a grade 1 sprain of the tendon extending into the knee of the right posterior thigh. Unfortunately, this is season-ending but I will be okay," he said.

This announcement left fans and the athletics community in shock. A grade 1 sprain of the tendon extending into the knee is no minor setback. The injury would not only put an end to his aspirations for this championship but also his entire season.

Gardiner's message on Instagram continued with gratitude for those who supported him throughout his journey:

“I would kindly like to thank the Budapest medical staff, team Bahamas, my management team (ontrackmanagement), coaches, fans, and sponsors for always believing in me.”

Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago and St Lucia’s Michael Joseph also advanced to the next round of competition.

Gardiner, who was unable to defend his title in Eugene, Oregon in 2022, due to injury, indicated that he was ready to claim his second world title, cruising to victory in the opening heat in 44.65. Japan’s Kentaro Sato was the runner-up in the heat in a national record of 44.77. Hungary’s Attila Molnar also set a national record of 44.84 to finish third.

Josephs of St Lucia was fifth in 45.04 and advanced as one of the next sixth fastest after the three automatic qualifiers from each heat.

Wayde van Neikerk, the world record holder, ran 44.57 to win Heat 2 in which Alonzo Russell of the Bahamas was sixth in 46.95. He failed to advance.

Richards, Trinidad and Tobago’s best hope of an individual medal at these championships, eased to a third-place finish in Heat 3 in 45.15 to automatically qualify for the next round. Norways’s Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen won the heat in a national record of 44.39 with the USA’s Vernon Norwood trailing in for second place in 44.87.

Grenada’s James, whose coach Harvey Glance died during his final weeks of preparation leading into these championships, won Heat 4 in 44.91. Japan’s Fuga Sato clocked a personal best of 44.97 to finish ahead of Bailey, who finished in 44.98.

Watson comfortably won Heat 5 in 44.77 ahead of the USA’s Quincy Hall, who clocked in at 44.86. Japan’s Yuki Joseph Nakajima was the next automatic qualifier from the heat when he finished third in 45.15.

Barnes was third in the final heat running 45.05 to automatically qualify. His heat was won by Bayapo Ndori of Botswana in 44.72 with Belgium’s Alexander Doom finishing in second place in a personal best 44.92.

You can watch live action from the 2023 World Athletics Championships by downloading the Sportsmax app from the Google Playstore.

The 2012 double sprint World Junior champion ran 7.21 for victory in the women’s 60m. She finished just ahead of Poland’s Magdalena Stefanovicz (7.22) and Iran’s Farzaneh Fasihi (7.23). Jamaica's Tina Clayton ran 7.28 in sixth.

Reigning Jamaican National 100m champion Rohan Watson ran 6.65 for fifth in the male equivalent won by the USA’s Demek Kemp in 6.55. The Japanese pair of Shuhei Tada and Akihiro Higashida ran 6.58 and 6.59 for second and third, respectively.

The meet’s most impressive performance came in the women’s 60m hurdles where Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, coached by Jamaican Lacena Golding-Clarke, produced an African record 7.77 to win ahead of two-time World Indoor champion Nia Ali (7.89) and Ireland’s Sarah Lavin (7.91). Jamaica’s Megan Tapper and Amoi Brown were fifth and eighth with times of 8.03 and 8.11, respectively.

The women’s 400m saw Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson finish second overall with a time of 54.66. The event was won by Portugal’s Catia Azevedo in 52.64 while Japan’s Nanako Matsumoto was third overall with 54.79.

The 29-year-old from Arima, whose 400m personal best was 44.36, was part of the Trinidad and Tobago team that won bronze in the Men’s 4x400m at the 2012 London Olympics and silver at the 2015 World Championships in the same event.

Individually, Lendore won bronze medals in the 400m at the World Indoor Championships, in Oregon, in 2016, where he was also part of T&T's bronze medal-winning 4x400m team and Birmingham in 2018.

A three-time Pan Am Junior Championships silver medallist, Lendore also had a wonderful junior career, which resulted in him excelling at Texas A&M University, winning the Bowerman award in 2014.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, Brian Lewis, reacted to the unfortunate news.

“Words cannot adequately express our sadness at the devastating and untimely loss. Deon has flown the Trinidad and Tobago flag with pride, honour, patriotism, and an indomitable will throughout his career while helping and inspiring many. We express our deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, teammates, coaches, and all who he would have touched. May Deon Rest and Sleep in Eternal Peace,” he said.

Lendore represented T&T at three Olympic Games in 2012, 2016 and 2021 and three World Championships in 2013, 2015 and 2019.

The 30-year-old, who entered Wednesday’s Men’s 400m final at the Stade de France with a personal best of 44.18 done at the London Diamond League on July 20 this year, produced a national record 43.78 to finish fourth.

The previous national record of 44.01 was held by Machel Cedenio who ran that time in a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Running out of lane nine, Richards went out extremely hard in the first 300m before being caught by the field in the last portion of the race.

American Quincy Hall won his maiden Olympic title with a brilliant personal best 44.40, the fourth fastest time in history.

Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, like he did at the World Championships in Budapest last year, took silver with a European record 43.44 while Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga ran 43.74, a national record, to take bronze just ahead of Richards.

Grenadian 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James was fifth in 43.87. USA’s Chris Bailey (44.58), Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi (44.73) and USA’s Michael Norman (45.62) rounded out the top eight.

The 30-year-old, who finished fourth in the 400m final in Paris in a national record 43.78, collected a cheque for $187,500 from acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Community Development, David Roberts, at its head office in Port of Spain.

“Jereem’s performance at the recent Paris 2024 Olympics games and his subsequent bronze medal at the Diamond League, showed true grit and a determination to succeed,” T&T’s Minister of Sport, Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, told Trinidad Express.

“We at the Ministry are committed to ensuring that athletes are given all that they need to reach their highest levels of performance,” she added.

The funding was awarded under the Elite Athlete Assistance Programme (EAAP) designed to help athletes like Richards to cover costs including training, international competition and travel fees as well as other essential expenses.

A Ministry release on September 11 stated that, “similar to other athletes, the Ministry has continuously supported Richards’ athletic development which allowed him to successfully compete on the international stage. In 2019, Jereem Richards was awarded $125,000 and $187,500 in 2021. In 2022, he received $250,000 and in 2023 he was awarded a further $250,000.”

Richards is also a World Indoor 400m champion from 2022, a two-time Commonwealth Games 200m champion from 2018 and 2022 and a World Championship 200m bronze medallist from 2017.

Gayle, who set a national record of 8.69m while winning gold in Doha last year, was unable to break 8m, leaping out to 7.99m, a mark exceeded by South Africa’s Rushwal Samaai, who managed an 8.04m jump for second place.

Finland’s Kristian Pulli won the event with his mark of 8.08m.

The 7.99m was Gayle’s worst performance of the disrupted season.

He produced a wind-aided mark of 8.52 at Jamaica College on July 11. A week later, he had a winning mark of 8.13m. Then, on August 29, he was again over 8m, recording a mark of 8.04m at the National Stadium in Kingston.

Also at the meet, 2016 Olympic champion and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk returned to competition winning the 400m in 45.58.

Jochem Dobber of the Netherlands was second in 45.78 while Karol Zalewski of Poland was third in 46.03.

Taplin, now 28, was handed a four-year ban last year after being charged with intentionally evading sample collection, following his 400m victory at the 2019 Grenada Invitational Athletics Competition.  The athlete was found to have left the stadium without completing doping control.  Taplin appealed the decision, but it was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) earlier this year.

The athlete will, however, also now serve a sequential three-years on that sentence, this time for doping whereabouts violations that occurred in 2019.  According to a release issued by the AIU, Taplin was found to have missed tests on the 21^st April, August 28th, and 25^th of November. Based on the rules, any combination of three missed
tests and/or filing failures within any twelve-month period is considered a violation.   The Grenada Invitational Athletics concluded on the 13^th of April.  On each of the occasions, the report claims a tester showed up at Taplin’s residence in Bryan, Texas, USA, and knocked for an hour before leaving having not received a response. 

Taplin, through an attorney, later contested the November 25^th missed test after pointing out that he had been required to appear in court at the time of the stated test and did not think there was time to adjust the whereabouts form.  After convening a tribunal, the AIU, however, later rejected the explanation provided by the athlete as insufficient.  The new three-year ban will take effect once the athlete has concluded the four-year period of ineligibility.

Taplin, who has a PB of 44.38, finished 7th in the 400m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.