Chrisann Gordonpowell

Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympic 110m hurdles champion Hansle Parchment and Tokyo Olympics 400m finalist Stephenie-Ann McPherson have been named team captains as the athletes look forward to getting into action on Friday.

Of the 64-member team selected by the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association to represent the country at the Championships set to run from July 15-24, quarter-miler Gregory Prince, 100m sprinter Jelani Walker, discus thrower Chad Wright as well as long jumper Chanice Porter and 800m runner Chris-Ann Gordon-Powell have not yet arrived in the athletes’ village.

Media liaison Dennis Gordon revealed that Prince received his US visa on Tuesday and is expected to arrive in Oregon by either late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

Walker’s situation is more concerning as the athlete has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been advised to remain away from the camp until he is advised by the medical team.

Chad Wright, Gordon explained, will not be joining the team because of “visa issues”.

As it relates to Porter and Gordon-Powell, the team’s technical leader, Maurice Wilson, at the request of their agent Claude Bryan, has granted permission both to join the camp on July 15.

Otherwise, Gordon said, all the other athletes are in camp and are said to be in high spirits ahead of the start of the competition, welcome news against the background of some challenges the delegation faced over the past few days.

Flight cancellations delayed the arrival of some athletes to the pre-camp late last week before the athletes moved into the village on July 10.

There were also issues with delays in accrediting some athletes because of matters relating to their Covid-19 status, Gordon confirmed.

He explained that some of the athletes faced issues with uploading forms issued electronically by World Athletics, that required information on athletes’ vaccination status. This was confirmed by some coaches who spoke with Sportsmax.TV earlier this week.

However, that matter has now been resolved and all athletes have now been accredited, Gordon said.

Another relatively minor issue that athletes faced was with the rooms to which they were assigned. Gordon explained that a list was created assigning athletes to specific rooms.

However, some of the athletes had preferences about whom they wanted to room with and as such when some athletes reported to the rooms to which they were assigned, they found there was another athlete already occupying what should have been their space.

That situation has also now been resolved, Gordon assured.

Several athletes who spoke with Sportsmax.TV confirmed that they are now settled.

 “For the most part, people seem to be okay. I haven’t heard any complaints really,” one athlete, who wanted to remain unidentified said.

“The rooms are dorms, and that was expected seeing that we are on a campus.”

Jamaica’s men 400m runners will be among the first to get into action on Friday morning in the 4x400m heats after which the preliminary round of the men’s 100m will get underway.

The heats of the men’s 100m will get underway in the afternoon session on Friday with the mixed relays finals scheduled to close out the day.

Gayle, the 2019 World Champion, jumped a world-leading 8.27m to win the long-jump competition in which five jumpers went beyond eight metres. However, those who won medals were Holland Martin of the Bahamas who jumped 8.15m for second place while Damacus Simpson finished third with his best jump of 8.05m.

Meanwhile, Thomas-Dodd was a class above the rest winning the shot put with a mark of 19.17m, the third-best in the world this year. She was almost half-metre better than second-placed Magdalyn Ewen of the USA, who managed 18.69m for second place.

Ewen’s compatriot Jessica Ramsay finished among the medals with her best throw of 18.61m.

Three-time NCAA champion Jamaica’s Natoya Goule was among the best Caribbean performers, the Jamaican finishing second in the 800m after leading the race for about 750m before she was passed by her US rival Ajee Wilson who crossed first in 2:00.57.  Goule’s clocked 2:00.92. Allie Wilson was third in 2:02.58.

In the men’s equivalent Jamaica’s Rahjay Hamilton, came out the worst in a three-way battle down the home stretch, finishing third in 1:48.32. Meanwhile, USA’s Kameron Jones, who led for most of the race was pipped at the line by Abe Alvarado who took the win in 1:47.29, three-hundredths of a second ahead of Jones, who clocked 1:47.32.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Cejhae Green ran a season-best 10.00 to finish third in the 100m won by Kyrie King in 9.97, just ahead of veteran Justin Gatlin, who ran 9.98.

Stephenie-Ann McPherson ran 51.09 for fourth and Chrisann Gordon-Powell 51.39 for sixth in the hotly contested 400m won by 400m hurdler Shamier Little in a lifetime best of 49.91, just holding off Quanera Haynes who was timed in 49.92.

Kendall Ellis made it a 1-2-3 finish for the USA as she was third in 50.48.

Thompson-Herah the Olympic 200m champion and Briana Williams, the 2018 World U20 200m champion, were fourth and sixth in 22.44 and 22.93, respectively in the half-lap sprint won by the USA’s Jenna Prandini in 22.29.

Bahrain’s Brittany Brown was second 22.39 with Candice Hill of the USA not far behind in 22.43.

The meet ended on a sad note for Jamaica’s Akeem Bloomfield, who fell to the track in the men’s 200m and did not finish. There was no official word on what was the nature of his injury in the race won by Kenny Bednarek in a windy 19.65. The race was run with a trailing wind of 4m/s, twice the allowable limit.

Emmanuel Matadi finished second in 20.20 while EJ Floreal was third in 20.41.

The 28-year-old Gordon-Powell, a member of Jamaica’s gold-medal winning 4x400m squad at the 2015 World Championships in Helsinki and a silver-medalist as part of the silver-medal team at the Rio 2016 Olympics, revealed her pregnancy on Instagram on Friday.

“I am so in love with these kicks,” she said beneath a picture of her in an advanced stage of pregnancy.

The revelation came a week after her former training partner Shaunae Miller-Uibo announced her pregnancy on social media.

Powell has enjoyed a successful career to date winning gold in the 400m at the NACAC U23 Championships in San Salvador in 2016. She was also the 2017 NCAA 400m outdoor champion.

Last year, after stepping up to the 800m, Gordon-Powell upset the more favoured Natoya Goule to win the Jamaican national title at the National Stadium in Kingston.

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).

Lawrence, whose twin sister Shardia was sixth in the triple jump, sealed her third victory of the season with a throw of 57.76m in the discus. The Jamaican, who has already achieved the Olympic standard by way of her 63.75m effort in Florida on March 20, took the lead with her third throw of the competition.

However, Rachel Dincoff of the USA came close to taking the lead back with her final throw of 57.72, which was good enough to lock in the silver medal.

Kelsey Card, also of the USA, was third with her best throw of 55.50m.

Meanwhile, Barbadian Brathwaite was a comfortable winner in the 110m hurdles winning in 13.82.

The USA’s Ryan Fontenot was more than 0.10 behind, finishing second in 14.00. Jeff Julmis of Haiti picked up the final podium spot when he crossed in 14.50.

In the Women’s 400m, Jamaica’s Chrisann Gordon-Powell opened her season with a 52.47 as she finished second to the USA’s Jessica Beard who took the win in 52.38. Jaide Stepter Baynes was third in 52.54.

There was also a second-place finish for Shian Salmon in the 400m hurdles. The 2018 World U20 silver medalist clocked 56.90 while finishing behind the USA’s Ashley Spencer who crossed first in 56.36.

Gianna Woodruff of Panama was third in 57.22. Trinidad and Tobago’s Sparkle McKnight was fourth in 57.40.

The men’s 100m was won by Liberia’s Emmanuel Matadi in 10.29s. He held off the USA’s Isiah Young who clocked 10.35. Barbados’ Mario Burke ran a season-best 10.51 for third while Jamaica’s Odean Skeen, who is returning to competition after recovering from a series of injuries was fourth in 10.55.

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.

Young, a sophomore at Texas A&M, was given the same time of 51.49 as LSU’s Favour Ofili and had to be separated by photo-finish imaging that determined that the Jamaican crossed the finish line in 51.481 to Ofili’s 51.486 with both times rounded up.

The time bettered her 51.52 ran in Texas on April 3.

Natassha McDonald of Alabama finished third in 51.94.

Meanwhile, Gordon-Powell, who is the training partner of Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, ran out a comfortable winner clocking 50.84s in the Olympic Development quarter-mile event. It was her fastest-ever opener. Her winning margin was more than a second over Sierra Leone’s Maggie Barrie, who ran 51.92 for second place, and almost two seconds ahead of third-placed Zoe Sherar.

Damion Thomas, the NCAA 60m hurdles champion, had to settle for second place in the 110m hurdles.

He clocked 13.37 in the race won by Alabama’s Robert Dunning in 13.28.

Thomas’ LSU teammate Eric Edwards Jr finished third in 13.46.

Baylor’s Ackera Nugent was third in a season-best 12.87 in the 100m hurdles.

She was beaten by LSU’s Tonea Marshall, who clocked a fast 12.53 for the win while Tara Davis was second in 12.61.

Kevona Davis finished second in the 200m in 23.15, beaten only by her teammate Kynnedy Flannel who stopped the clock in 22.75.

Thelma Davies of LSU clocked 23.29 for third.