With a field of only two competitors, the 2022 NACAC silver medallist ran a time of 4:19.23 to finish ahead of 2018 Commonwealth Games 3000m steeplechase gold medalist, Aisha Praught-Leer (4:23.05).
The automatic qualification standard for the 1500m to the Budapest World Championships is 4:03.50 which Tracey achieved when she ran 4:02.65 at the Ostrava Golden Spike in August 2022.
In what was the season debut for the 2022 World Championships silver medalist, Anderson ran a fast 7.83 which makes her the fastest Jamaican woman in the world this year.
However, she had to settle for third place after being beaten to the line by Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska who crossed in a meet record 7.79. Finland’s Reetta Hurske finished second in 7.81.
A fast time was always on the cards based on what the women produced during the preliminary round.
Anderson won her heat in 7.86 ahead of Hurske who clocked 7.89. Skrzyszowska easily won her heat in 7.91.
Earlier, Tracey, who made her debut for Jamaica in 2022, clocked 4:30.17 for third-place in the Women’s Mile.
Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, running on her own after the first 800m, won the race in 4:16.16 a personal best and the second-fastest time in history. It was also a meet record.
Weronika Lizakowska of Poland was the runner-up in 4:29.06.
Against a stacked field, Moraa ran a tactically brilliant race staying on the shoulder of the USA’s Athing Mu, the 2022 world champion, before powering past her down the home stretch to take victory in 1:56.02.
Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, who stayed off the pace for most of the race, stormed through to overtake Mu late and take silver in 1:56.34.
Mu, who has raced sparingly this season, finishing third in 1:56.61.
Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey, who clocked a lifetime best 1:58.99 in her semi-final, produced another lifetime best of 1:58.41 for seventh place.
The athlete, who switched allegiance from Great Britain to Jamaica in June, made her debut at the IAAF World Championships but was unable to take part in the Commonwealth Games earlier this month due to protocols surrounding the international transfer.
The athlete was, however, able to return to the track for the NACAC Games where she finished third in the women’s 800m behind the US pair of Ajee and Allie Wilson. Ajee finished just ahead of her compatriot Allie in a photo finish 1:58.47 to 1:58.48.
The Jamaican finished third in 1:59.54 only her second time under 2 minutes, behind her personal best, which came at the IAAF World Championship in Eugene, Oregon in July. Tracey was delighted with the result and performance.
“Ajee set a really tough pace from the get-go, that was great for me because I actually ran my second fastest time. It was very hot today, it’s super windy. I just made it hard but there is a lot of travel in my legs,” Tracey said after the race.
“I was kind of hoping it would have been a bit more tactical but that was a really honest race and there are some really fast girls in there so I’m really happy with it,” she added.
The distance runner was also delighted to have made the trip.
"It feels like a really special place and this is my first medal as a Jamaican athlete as well, so, I really love the Bahamas.”
The Jamaicans also picked up other medals on the night when Olympic bronze medalist Megan Tapper claimed silver in the women’s 100m hurdles and another bronze for Orlando Bennett in the men’s 110m hurdles.
The quartet of Lidio Andres Feliz, Marileidy Paulino, Alexander Ogando and Fiordaliza Cofil sped to a world leading 3:09.82 to secure gold ahead of the Netherlands (3:09.90) and the USA (3:10.16).
Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey ran 4:05.14 to advance to the semi-finals of the Women’s 1500m while Yohan Blake, Ackeem Blake and Oblique Seville all advanced to Saturday’s semi-finals in the 100m.
Seville ran 9.93 to win his heat while Yohan Blake (10.04) and Ackeem Blake (10.15) came second in their respective heats. American gold medal favourite Fred Kerley stole the show with a fast 9.79 to win his heat while countrymen and fellow medal favourites Trayvon Bromell (9.89) and Christian Coleman (10.08) also safely advanced to the semi-finals.
In the field, 2019 World Championship silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd needed only one throw to advance to the final of the women’s shot put with 19.09m.
Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock advanced to his first senior global final with a 7.98m effort in the long jump.
Running in lane six, the 27-year-old Jamaican, who ran a personal best 10.96 to finish in second place at the recent Jamaica National Athletics Championships in Kingston, outclassed the field, winning in 11.10. Hungary’s Boglarka Takacs was almost a full 0.1 seconds behind, clocking in at 11.19 to take second place. Finishing third was the Slovak Republic’s Viktoria Forster, who established a new national record of 11.26.
Forbes was not the only Jamaican on the podium as Javon Francis finished third in the 400m. The World Championship relay silver medalist clocked a creditable 45.87 behind Frenchman Gilles Birron who ran 45.49 for victory.
Runner-up Patrik Sorm of the Czech Republic ran a season’s best 45.75.
Meanwhile, Adelle Tracey continues to show progress this season with a new season-best time of 2:00.40 to finish third in the 800m race that was won by Anita Horvat in 1:59.91.
Ethiopia’s Hirut Meshesha took second place, running a time of 2:00.24.
Goule-Toppin, who entered the championships ranked second in the world, contested the last of the seven heats, where she bided her time in the early stages, before challenging and pushing America’s reigning World Champion Athing Mu in the homestretch.
In the end, Goule-Toppin finished second in 1:59.64, behind Mu, who stopped the clock in 1:59.59. Switzerland’s Lore Hoffman clocked a season’s best 2:00.14 to secure the third automatic qualifying spot.
Though she ran a national record of 3:58.77 in the 1,500m semi-finals, where she shaved 3.07 seconds off the previous mark set by Yvonne Graham in Monaco in 1995, Tracey was more at home in the two-lap event, and she performed accordingly to book her spot in the next round.
The 30-year-old occupied the inside lane for most of the way before finding space in between competitors in the home stretch to close fast for second in heat four.
She stopped the clock in a season’s best 1:59.92, behind Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi (1:59.68), with French athlete, Renelle Lamote (2:00.22, taking the third automatic qualifying spot from the heat.
Meanwhile, Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza, who contested heat six, placed sixth in 2:01.33 and failed to progress.
The semi-finals are scheduled for Friday.
You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.
In the semi-finals where only the top six from each heat would advance to the final, Tracey ran an incredible time of 3:58.77 to become the first Jamaican woman to break the four-minute barrier but the time was only good enough for seventh place. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, the gold medal favourite and world-record holder, won the semi-final heat in 3:55.14.
What is interesting is that Tracey was faster than all the qualifiers from the first heat that was won by Ethiopia’s Nelly Chepchirchir in 4:02.14.
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.
With the winner of the four Repechage heats and the next two fastest non-automatic qualifiers guaranteed a semi-final spot, Tracey, running in heat two, could only manage fifth in 2:03.67.
While the Jamaican missed out, Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza ran a well-timed race where she controlled the pace, backed off, and then rallied late to win heat three to continue her medal hunt. Almanza won in 2:01.54.
The other qualifiers include Australia’s Abbey Caldwell (2:00.07), France’s Anais Bourgoin (1:59.52), Germany’s Majtie Kolberg (1:59.08), and Kenya’s Vivian Chebet Kiprotich (1:59.31). These ladies will join the 18 automatic qualifiers from day one, including Jamaica's Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Smith, who also represented Jamaica in the triple jump final earlier in the Games, cut the sand at 6.59m on her second attempt for fifth in qualifying Pool B.
Porter, who went in Pool A started well with her first leap of 6.48m, but she failed to improve on that and was left in eighth, as it was not good enough to contest the medal event.
Earlier, Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey missed out on an automatic spot in the women’s 1500m.
Despite clocking a season’s best 4:09.33 in heat one, Tracey finished down the track in 13th and will have to contest the repechage round for a second shot at progressing.
Running in rainy conditions, Powell, a finalist at the NCAA Championships earlier in June, produced a late burst in the final 50 metres of the race to produce 45.50 to win ahead of Nathon Allen (45.64) and Anthony Cox (45.65).
McLeod, a finalist at the Tokyo Olympics last year, produced a strong season’s best of 50.29 to win ahead of Stephenie Ann McPherson (50.49) and Charokee Young (50.76).
There was an upset in the Women’s 800m as eight-time national champion Natoya Goule ran 2:00.83 for second behind Chrisann Gordon-Powell (2:00.35). Adelle Tracey ran 2:01.18 for third.
National record holder and NCAA Championships silver medallist Navasky Anderson ran 1:48.53 to win his first national title ahead of Kimar Farquharson (1:49.36) and Tarees Rhoden (1:49.89).
Tracey ran a time of 4:22 for fifth. The race was won by Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie in 4:20 ahead of Ireland’s Sarah Healy (4:20) and the USA’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant (4:21).
“Every mile deserves a smile! No better way to sign off the season than smiling on the streets of NYC, finishing fifth at the 5th Avenue Mile in 4.21.3,” Tracey said in a social media post on Tuesday.
“Big thank you to New York Road Runners for always putting together such a fun meet! I’m so thankful for the experiences I’ve enjoyed the last couple of weeks, and I’m already excited to see how these could shape next season…But first it’s time to rest up and enjoy some down time,” Tracey added.
The best of those experiences of the last two weeks for Tracey came at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest where she set personal bests in both the 800m and the 1500m.
Tracey ran 1:58.41 to finish seventh in the final of the 800m. This was after Tracey became the first Jamaican woman to go under four minutes in the 1500m, running 3:58.77 in her semi-final.
The Great Britain-born Tracey, running in the final of four heats, finished fifth in 4:03.67 to take one of the six automatic spots through to the semi-final scheduled for Sunday at 10:05am.
Tracey, 30, ran her usual patient race in mid-pack of the 13-athlete field, before gradually pushing closer to the leaders and remained comfortable from there.
Though she ran into traffic problems which forced her wide on the bell lap when the top six was tightly bunched, Tracey said it didn’t affect her much, as she was always focused on taking the safest route.
“It was just that everybody was trying to run to make sure they are safe so there was a little bit of hustling. I think sometimes you just have to play it safe, and I have been training well, so I knew that going wide was okay to do if it meant that I had a clear run and could really work into the line to make sure I got that spot,” Tracey explained.
“I am happy to go through easily and qualify to the next round, it was great, very happy to tick a box and get that qualifying spot,” she added.
Due back on the track in several hours for what will an event more competitive semi-final run, the cheerful athlete is intent on making the most of the short break.
“Now it’s just about recovery and getting as much rest as I need, get some treatment and ice bath until the next round,” Tracey noted.
You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.
Jackson, who recently ran a new lifetime best of 10.71 at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, which makes her the sixth fastest woman in history, is down to run the 100m along with Commonwealth Games 200m finalist Natalliah Whyte. Emerging sprinters Ackeem Blake and Conroy Jones will gain valuable experience in the blue ribbon sprint for the men.
Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper and Crystal Morrison will compete in the 100m hurdles while Orlando Bennett will join Broadbell for the 110m hurdles.
Taylor and Nathon Allen are set to represent the island in the 400m while Jamaica’s 200m champion Andrew Hudson gets his first opportunity to wear national colours since his transfer of allegiance. He and Jazeel Murphy will contest the 200m.
Adelle Tracey, who missed out on the Commonwealth Games, will compete in the 800m while Commonwealth Games medallists Shian Salmon and Janieve Russell will compete over the 400m hurdles. Andrenette Knight, who fell while leading at Jamaica’s national championships in June, is listed as an alternate.
Shawn Rowe will compete in the men’s event.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Kimberly Williamson and Lushane Wilson will take on NACAC’s best in the high jump.
Chanice Porter will be Jamaica’s lone female in the long jump while Tahjay Gayle, who has been returning to good health and form will be in tandem with Shawn-D Thompson for the men’s event.
Jamaica will send it’s very best in the triple jump in the form of Shanieka Ricketts, the World Championships silver medallist and Commonwealth Games champion.
Lloydrecia Cameron and O’Dayne Richards will throw the shot put while Samantha Hall, Federic Dacres and Traves Smikle will throw the discus.
Elvis Graham takes on the field in the javelin.
The relay pool for the Men’s 4x100m includes Ackeem Blake, Andrew Hudson, Oshane Bailey, Kadrian Gordon, Conroy Jones and Jazeel Murphy. The Women’s pool will have Megan Tapper, Natasha Morrison, Natalliah Whyte, Ashley Williams, Roneisha McGregor and Crystal Morrison.
Nathon Allen, Christopher Taylor, Javon Francis, Karayme Bartley, Demish Gaye and Shawn Rowe make up the 4x400m pool while the women’s squad includes Junelle Bromfield, Roneisha McGregor, Ashley Williams, Shian Salmon and Andrenette Knight.
Jackson, who won silver in the 100m with a 10.73 personal best on Sunday, ran a spectacular championship record 21.45 for victory ahead of teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (21.81) and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (22.02). Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah finished seventh in 22.39.
Jackson’s time also makes her the fastest woman alive over the distance and is a new national record.
In the men’s equivalent, the USA completed their second sprint sweep of the championships with Noah Lyles defending his title from Doha with a phenomenal world-leading and lifetime best of 19.31 to become the third fastest man in history over the distance.
Kenny Bednarek ran 19.77 for the silver medal while 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton took the bronze in 19.80. The Dominican Republic's Alexander Ogando and Trinidad & Tobago's Jereem Richards were fifth and sixth in 19.93 and 20.08, respectively.
In the Women’s 800m, Jamaica’s 1500m semi-finalist Adelle Tracey ran a personal best of 1:59.20 to finish third in heat one and advance to the semi-finals.
Joining Tracey in the semis will be her Jamaican teammate and 2019 World Championships finalist Natoya Goule, who won the sixth and final heat in 2:00.06.
In the field, the world leader and defending world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada needed only one throw to advance to the final of the men’s javelin, registering a mark of 89.91m. Trinidadian 2012 Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott failed to advance, finishing 16th overall in qualifying with a throw of 78.87m.
Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez jumped 17.06m to advance to the final of the men’s triple jump.
Trailing the USA’s Kenturah Orji 14.32m established during the third round of the competition, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist produced her best effort to steal the win.
Cuba’s Fernandez Velazco jumped 14.08m for the bronze medal.
LaFond (6.34m) was fourth in the long jump on Saturday night. Quanesha Burks of the USA jumped 6.75m for the victory over Christabel Netty of Canada (6.46m) and Jamaica’s Chanice Porter (6.43m).
In the men’s long jump on Sunday, William Williams of the USA won the gold medal with a leap of 7.89m.
Tajay Gayle, the 2019 world champion was second with 7.81m, while his compatriot Shawn-D Thompson copped the bronze medal with 7.75, relegating Commonwealth champion Laquan Nairn, who also had his best mark of 7.75m, to fourth.
Adelle Tracey won her second medal of the championships when she finished second in the 1500m. Tracey ran 4:08.42 to be runner-up to the USA’s Heather MacClean while Helen Schachtenhaufen of the USA won the bronze medal having run 4:10.43.
In the relays, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas all garnered medals.
Jamaica finished second in the 4x400m relay in 3:26.32. The USA won the two-team race in 3:23.54.
The USA won the men’s final in 3:01.79. They finished ahead of Jamaica 3:05.47 and the Bahamas 3:06.21.
The USA also won the women’s sprint relay clocking 42.35, leaving the Bahamas 43.34 and Jamaica 43.39 to claim silver and bronze, respectively.
The USA men followed suit winning the men’s sprint relay final in 38.29. Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica were both credited with 38.94 but the Trinidadians were awarded the silver medal and Jamaica, the bronze.
The Seattle, Washington-born Jamaican started her week with a 4:03.67 effort to advance to the semi-finals of the women’s 1500m.
A day later in the semi-finals, Tracey brought out her best and produced a time that would have been good enough to get to any other major championship final with 3:58.77. That effort is a national record and makes Tracey the first Jamaican woman to dip below 4:00 in the 1500m.
Despite Tracey’s time being seventh-fastest overall in the semis, she failed to advance to the final due to a seventh-place finish in her individual semi-final. The top six finishers in the two semi-finals advance to the final.
Tracey’s chance for redemption came in the 800m where, on August 23, she finished second in her heat with 1:59.82, a season’s best at the time, to make it to the semi-finals.
Two days later, the 30-year-old produced a personal best 1:58.99 to finish fourth in her semi-final and advance to the final as one of the two fastest losers.
The final then saw Tracey once again lower her personal best, this time clocking 1:58.41 to finish seventh.
“5 rounds, 3 PB's in one week, x2 2024 Olympic QT's, a National 1500m Record, and all the smiles doing it!!” Tracey said in a social media post on Monday.
“I am so grateful for the progress and every step of this process! Special thanks to my team and to everyone for all their support,” she added.
Tracey will next line up in the 800m at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday.
With none of the medallists from the World Athletic Championships in Budapest present, the event was left for the pickings, and it was Great Britain’s Laura Muir that proved best of the lot on the day, as the Jamaicans produced contrasting performances in their bid.
Muir, who assumed the lead at the 200m mark, left the field in her wake, as she went on to win in 1:57.71, ahead of Australia’s Catriona Bisset (1:58.77) and the fast-finishing Tracey (1:59.05), who left it late.
The front-running Goule-Toppin, who took the lead at the bell, faded into ninth in 2:00.10.
Tracey produced a personal best 1:58.99 to advance to the final as one of the fastest losers after finishing fourth in the third semi-final. Mary Moraa (1:58.48), Athing Mu (1:58.78) and Halimah Nakaayi (1:58.89) were the top three finishers in the race.
This continues an excellent week for Tracey. She also competed in the 1500m, running a national record 3:58.77 in the semi-finals.
Natoya Goule-Toppin competed in the second of three semi-finals but failed to advance after running 2:00.78 to finish third behind Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie (2:00.28) and the USA’s Raevyn Rogers (2:00.47).