Iaaf World Championships

The colourful Jamaica star first burst onto the world stage in 2008, as a 21-year-old, after capturing gold at the Beijing Olympics.  One year later, the athlete proved she would be a force to be reckoned with after repeating the feat at the 2009 Berlin World Championship. 

In a sport that is marked as much for its brevity at the very top level, as much as it is for blazing speed, 13 years later Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was once again crowned world champion in Oregon this week after dashing to gold in a blistering 10.67, her fastest time at a major games, at a jaw-dropping 35-years old.

As a testament to her remarkable longevity, the sprinter has remained the one constant in a changing sea of 100m athletes during the period.  In the previous four World Championships finals, Fraser-Pryce has competed against 23 different athletes, the majority of which have now retired from the sport.  

“Each time I step out on to the track I’m always feeling blessed to be able to do it because I know there are so many people I’ve competed with who have retired or they are injured or whatever it is.  I’m just feeling blessed and am grateful to be able to continue,” Fraser-Pryce said.

In addition to being the oldest sprinter to win the 100m title, she also embarked on the journey of motherhood after taking time away from the sport in 2017 to have her first child, only to return to dominate.

“Age is a part of life, everyone will get to that stage, and taking time out to have a child is just part of the journey.”

Anderson, who ran a national record 1:44.70 in July to qualify for the championships, was only able to produce 1:45.81 for fifth in heat two.

After seven heats, Anderson’s time was just .05 slower than the final non-automatic qualifying time.

The 23-year-old also failed to advance from the heats at last year’s edition in Eugene.

The region took home 17 medals in total including five golds, nine silvers and three bronzes with Jamaica leading the Caribbean medal count with 10 ahead of Grenada and the Dominican Republic who got two each while the Bahamas, Barbados and Puerto Rico all took home one apiece.

There were a number of standout performances throughout the 10 days starting with Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson.

Fraser-Pryce produced a championship record 10.67 to defend her 100m title and win her fifth in total. Fraser-Pryce also won her second 200m medal in her World Championships career, a silver in a season’s best 22.81.

Jackson ran a personal best 10.73 for silver in the 100m behind Fraser-Pryce and followed that up with one of the performances of the championships in the 200m. She produced a time of 21.45 to win her first global title and become the fastest woman alive over the distance.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah came third in the 100m in 10.81 to complete Jamaica's second consecutive 100m clean sweep at a major championship.

Fraser-Pryce, Jackson and Thompson-Herah then teamed up with Kemba Nelson to win silver in the 4x100m in 41.18 behind the USA (41.14).

We now move to the 400m where the Caribbean women swept the medals. Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo became the first female to complete the world event cycle (gold medals at the World Youth Championships, World Junior Championships, World Indoor Championships, World Championships and Olympics) by finally winning her maiden world title with a world-leading 49.11.

The Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino, the world leader coming into the Championships, followed up her silver medal in Tokyo last year with 49.60 to claim silver once more.

Barbados’ Sada Williams produced a brilliant personal best and national record 49.75 to take home bronze, becoming the first Barbadian woman to win a World Championship medal.

In the men’s equivalent, Grenadian superstar Kirani James ran 44.48 for silver behind American Michael Norman (44.30). This was James’ third World Championships medal and first since 2015 when he won bronze.

Paulino was also part of the brilliant quartet that took the Dominican Republic to gold in the Mixed Relay. Paulino combined with Fiordaliza Cofil, Lidio Andres Feliz and Alexander Ogando to run 3:09.82 for gold.

Staying on the track, Jamaica’s Britany Anderson followed up on the promise she’s shown all season to secure a silver medal in the 100m hurdles.

Anderson ran a new national record 12.31 in the semi-finals before running a wind-aided 12.23 to secure the silver medal behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan who clocked an astounding 12.06 for victory after running a legal world record 12.12 earlier in the semis.

Puerto Rican Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran the same time as Anderson to take home bronze.

Jamaica picked up silver medals in both the men's and women's 4x400m relays. The men comprising of Ackeem Bloomfield, Nathon Allen, Jevaughn Powell and Christopher Taylor registered 2:58.58 to finish behind the USA (2:56.17) while the women with Candice McLeod, Janieve Russell, Stephenie Ann McPherson and Charokee Young produced 3:20.74 to finish behind the Americans (3:17.79).

In the field, Grenada’s Anderson Peters became only the second man to defend his javelin world title.

The 2022 world leader produced a best throw of 90.54m to successfully defend his title from Doha three years ago, replicating a feat only matched by Czech world record holder Jan Zelezny who won consecutive world titles in 1993 and 1995 before returning to top spot in 2001.

Peters produced an amazing series, registering 90.21m, 90.46m, 87.21m, 88.11m, 85.83m and 90.54m in his six rounds.

Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts produced a season’s best 14.89m to take silver in the women’s triple jump behind Venezuelan world record holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas (15.47m).

Ricketts produced jumps of 14.89m, 14.86m, 14.37m, 14.40m, 14.62m and 14.80m for one of her best series of her career.

The region will be hoping for an even better showing at the 2023 World Championships scheduled for August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.

McMaster ran a composed 47.72 to win the first semi-final ahead of Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.30) and the USA’s CJ Allen (48.30). Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Jaheel Hyde, had a blistering first half of the race before fading in the final 200m to finish fourth in 48.49.

Rai Benjamin (47.24) and defending champion Alison Dos Santos (47.38) were comfortably the top two finishers in the second semi-final. France’s Ludvy Vaillant finished third in 48.48, knocking Hyde out of one of the non-automatic qualifying spots.

The third semi-final saw World Record holder Karsten Warholm look awesome in running 47.08 to win ahead of Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke and USA’s Trevor Bassitt.

Clarke’s time in second was 47.34, a new national record and world junior record while Bassitt’s time of 47.38 in third was also good enough to take him to the final.

The final is scheduled for Wednesday at 2:50pm Jamaica time.

The two-time World Championships finalist and Commonwealth Games runner-up has a season’s best of 13.58 done at the Music City Track Festival in June.

The 33-year-old Brathwaite was also a finalist at the World Indoor Championships in 2016.

His withdrawal means Barbados will enter Budapest with a three-member team of Sada Williams, Jonathan Jones and DeSean Boyce for the prestigious meet scheduled for August 19 to 27. All three will take part on the 400m.

Williams, who took bronze at last year’s edition before claiming gold at the Commonwealth Games a little over two weeks later, will face a tough field including the likes of defending champion, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who announced her availability after a recent pregnancy.

Jones was also a finalist at last year’s World Championships, finishing eighth while Boyce was a finalist at this year’s NJCAA Championships competing for Western Texas College, finishing sixth in a personal best 44.85.

The event was won by Sweden’s Daniel Stahl with a championship record 71.46m while Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh threw 70.02m for second and Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna threw 68.85m for third.

It was an exciting end to the competition as Ceh took the lead with his final round effort before Stahl produced the championship record throw with the very last throw of the competition.

Traves Smikle finished 11^th with a best throw of 61.90m.

In July, the 26-year-old athlete faced charges of three whereabouts failures, which constitutes an anti-doping rule violation for missing three out-of-competition tests within a 12-month period. Amusan had contested this charge.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said in a statement issued on Thursday, “A panel of the Disciplinary Tribunal, by majority decision, has found today that Tobi Amusan has not committed any Anti-Doping Rule Violation of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period.”

““AIU Head Brett Clothier has indicated the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is disappointed by this decision and will review the reasoning in detail before deciding whether to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within the applicable deadline. The decision is currently confidential but will be published in due course,” the release continued.

The statement went on to outline that her provisional suspension has now been lifted, clearing the way for her to defend her title in Budapest.

“This morning I found out that the Independent Tribunal that heard my case has ruled that I did not violate the whereabouts rules and as a result, I will not be sanctioned and none of my results will be precluded,” Amusan said in a statement on her Instagram page on Thursday.

“I am thrilled to put this behind me and I look forward to defending my title at next week’s World Championships. I generally have been and consistently be an ally of CLEAN SPORT,” she added.

Amusan famously set a World Record (12.12) in the semi-finals of the sprint hurdles at last year’s World Championships in Eugene before running a wind-aided 12.06 to win gold.

This season, Amusan has a season’s best of 12.34 done at the Silesia Diamond League in July.

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.

Jackson won the women’s 200 metres at the World Championships in Budapest on Friday by setting a championship record of 21.41. 

Minister Grange said today’s performance was the continuation of an “exciting and outstanding run by Jackson who is one of the greatest 200 metres athletes the world has ever seen.” 

Jackson finished way ahead of the American pair of Gabrielle Thomas (21.81) and Sha’Carri Richardson (21.92).

Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson finished eighth in the men’s 200 metres which was won by Noah Lyles of the United States.

The Minister said she was happy that Hudson was able to run in the final after he was involved in a minor accident which affected his performance in the semifinals.

Minister Grange has also extended congratulations to Shanieka Ricketts (14.93) and Kimberley Williams (14.38) who both recorded season’s best marks while finishing fourth and seventh respectively in the women’s triple jump won by the Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas with 15.08 metres.

The Minister has sent best wishes to high jumper Lamara Distin as well as the women’s and men’s sprint relay teams who have advanced to their respective finals.

The 18-year-old NCAA Indoor and Outdoor champion and record holder opened his qualifying series with a 16.99 effort before booking his spot in the final with a massive 17.70m in the second round.

That distance is the fourth furthest jump in the world this year and the second furthest of his career, trailing only his world leading and world junior record 17.87m done at the SEC Outdoor Championships in May.

Hibbert will enter Monday's final as one of the big favorites for gold, especially after the withdrawal of Olympic champion, Pedro Pablo Pichardo, on the eve of the championships.

At those trials held at the National Stadium in Kingston, the 29-year-old produced a personal best and world-leading 10.65 to defend her 100m title before returning two days later to run 21.71 to defend her 200m crown.

“I’ve gotten a lot faster since the Jamaica trials. It’s just to go out there and execute a good 100m and 200m and I’m definitely expecting good things. I’m in pretty good shape so anything is possible,” Jackson said.

Jackson, who also ran 10.71 to finish second in the 100m at last year’s World Championships in Eugene, ran a pair of 100s and 200s after her exploits at the Jamaican Championships.

The former Vere Technical standout ran 10.78 for second at the Silesia Diamond League on July 16 before, two days later, running 22.02 for victory at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary.

Three days after that, she ran 21.86, her second fastest time of the season, to win at the Monaco Diamond League before running 10.94 for third at the London Diamond League on July 23.

She says that she was able to get some good work done on the training track after those four races.

Jackson also believes some 400m work earlier in the season has put her in a good position to produce her best in both the 100m and 200m in Budapest.

“Earlier in the season I did some 400m work and then I backed off to focus on the 100m. Since I’ve finished competing in those four events on the circuit, we’ve went back to the drawing board and we’re doing pretty well,” she said

“We have days when we focus on the 200m and days when we focus on the 100m so it’s a good balance,” she added.

When questioned about the loaded field she will have to deal with in both events, Jackson said that the most important thing to her right now is getting to the finals.

“The rounds are the most important. You can’t win a medal if you don’t go through the rounds so I think once all of us line up in the final, anything is possible,” she said.

When initially making the switch from the 400m to the 100m, Jackson’s start was something that was under the microscope but she says it is no longer an issue.

“My start has improved tremendously since 2021 and all I’ll have to do is execute and focus on my lane,” she said.

Jackson also said that, despite her scintillating form over the last two seasons, World Records are not the main thing on her mind in Budapest. Instead, her focus is executing a good race and taking whatever times come.

“I’m not going to say I don’t focus on breaking the World Record but it’s not something I dwell on,” she said.

“Yes, it’s in the back of my head that if I execute a good race, then it’s definitely possible but I’m not going to go into the race thinking about a World Record. My coach and I have mental sessions where we focus on a vision of how I’m going to execute the race. Once I go out there and execute a fast time will come,” she added.

The Championships will take place from August 19-27. All the action can be seen live on the SportsMax app.

Jackson, who won silver in the 100m in a personal best 10.73 on Sunday, looked magnificent in semi-final 1, cruising to 21.67 to win and advance to the final.

100m bronze medallist and double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah finished third in semi-final 2 in a season’s best 21.97 to advance to the final as a fastest loser. The USA’s Tamara Clark ran 21.95 to win while defending world champion Dina Asher-Smith ran a season’s best 21.96 for second.

Newly-crowned 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was also impressive in semi-final 3, running a season’s best 21.82 to win ahead of US champion Abby Steiner (22.15).

Dominican Republic Mixed Relay gold-medallist Alexander Ogando continued his brilliant world championships so far with a personal best and national record 19.91 to win semi-final 1 of the men’s 200m.

Trinidadian 2017 World Championship bronze medallist Jereem Richards of Trinidad & Tobago finished third in semi-final 2 in a brilliant 19.86 to advance to the final as a fastest loser. American defending champion Noah Lyles ran a brilliant 19.62 to win the race while Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, also of the USA, ran a season’s best 19.84 for second.

In the women’s 400m hurdles, Jamaican champion Janieve Russell ran 54.42 to win heat 2 and advance to the semi-finals.

Panama’s Gianna Woodruff ran 55.21 to finish third in semi-final 3 and progress. Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon produced 54.01 in heat 4 to finish second and advance while her teammate, 2019 World Championship bronze medallist Rushell Clayton finished fourth in heat 5 in 54.99 to advance.

Jaheel Hyde ran a new personal best 48.03 for sixth in the men’s 400m hurdles final. Brazilian world leader Alison Dos Santos dominated to win gold in a championship record 46.29 while Americans Rai Benjamin (46.89) and Trevor Bassitt (47.39) were second and third.

Richardson, running from lane nine after a shaky performance in the semi-finals earlier on Saturday, produced a personal best and championship record 10.65 to take the gold.

Shericka Jackson followed up her 10.79 in the semis with 10.72 to take her second consecutive silver medal in the evet while defending champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, was third with a season’s best 10.77.

The Dominican Republic team of Lidio Andres Feliz, Fiordaliza Cofil, Alexander Ogando and 2022 world leader in the 400m, Marileidy Paulino, ran 3:12.22 to win the heat while the Jamaican quartet of Demish Gaye, Roniesha McGregor, Karayme Bartley and Tiffany James ran 3:13.95 for third. Ireland were second in 3:13.88. 

The first heat was won by the USA in a world leading 3:11.75 ahead of the Netherlands (3:12.63) and Olympic champions Poland (3:13.70). Italy (3:13.89) and Nigeria (3:14.59) also advanced from heat one to complete the eight team field for the final scheduled for Friday night.

Jamaica’s quartet of Rusheen McDonald, Jevaughn Powell, Zandrion Barnes and D’Andre Anderson ran 2:59.82 to win the second semi-final ahead of France (3:00.05) and Italy (3:00.14).

On the other hand, Trinidad & Tobago’s team of Renny Quow, Asa Guevara, Shakeem McKay and Jereem Richards ran 3:01.54 for seventh in the first semi-final. USA (2:58.47), India (2:59.05), Great Britain (2:59.42) and Botswana (2:59.42) made it through from that race.

The quartet of Ackeem Blake, 100m finalists Oblique Seville and Ryiem Forde and 100m semi-finalist Rohan Watson combined to run 37.76.

The USA’s dream team of Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Brandon Carnes and Noah Lyles ran a world leading 37.38 for gold while Olympic champions, Italy, ran 37.62 for silver.

Ricketts produced a season’s best 14.89m to finish second behind Venezuelan world record holder Yulimar Rojas who produced a world leading 15.47 to win her third world title. Tori Franklin of the USA jumped 14.72m for bronze.

Ricketts, who had a slow start to the season because a knee injury that hampered her preparation, managed to get it together in time to produce her best performance when it mattered most.

She produced jumps of 14.89m, 14.86m, 14.37m, 14.40m, 14.62m and 14.80m for one of her best series of her career.

On the track, Trinidad & Tobago’s Jereem Richards advanced to the semi-finals of the 200m after running 20.35 to win heat 2. Richards won bronze at the 2017 London World Championships and won 400m gold at the World Indoor Championships earlier this season.

Mixed Relay gold medallist for the Dominican Republic Alexander Ogando was one of the most impressive qualifiers to the semis, easing down to a national record-equalling 20.01 to win heat 4.

100m semi-finalist and 2011 world champion Yohan Blake ran 20.35 to finish fourth in heat 5 and advance as one of the non-automatic qualifiers.

Finally, Rasheed Dwyer ran a season’s best 20.29 to finish second in the seventh and final heat to progress to the next round.

For the women, the usual suspects all booked their spots in the semi-finals.

Shericka Jackson, who became the third fastest woman in history with a personal best 21.55 to win at the Jamaican Championships in June, was impressive to easily win heat 1 in 22.33.

Heat 2 saw 100m bronze medallist and double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah cruise to 22.41 to finish second behind Namibia’s Beatrice Maslingi (22.27). Antigua’s Joella Lloyd ran 22.99 to finish fourth and advance as a fastest loser.

100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was also in cruise control in heat 3 running 22.26 for second behind Niger’s Aminatou Seyni who ran a national record 21.98.

Bahamian Tynia Gaither rebounded from the disappointment of being disqualified from her 100m semi-final on Sunday to finish third in heat 4 in 22.61 to advance.

Tracey caused a stir on social media on Thursday when he uploaded a 15-minute video on YouTube accusing Wilson of “bias” and “favoritism” after it was found that Kadrian Goldson, a sprinter who attends the GC Foster College where Wilson is principal, was on the team and selected to compete in the heats of the 4x100m relay despite not qualifying for the team through the National Championships.

At those championships, Tracey was fifth in the men’s 100m final while Goldson was seventh. The usual protocol is that the top six finishers from the championships make up the relay pool.

In the video, the sprinter also claimed that Wilson has had a pattern of doing this while also calling him "a very evil and vindictive person."

According to Tracey, after he raised the issue with reporters in Budapest, he was contacted by Security Liaison Officer Steve McGregor and told his accreditation to the championships would be withdrawn and he would be asked to leave the team village.

“The utterances were libelous and defamatory,” Wilson said of Tracey’s allegations on Thursday night.

“My family is coming under attack on social media. The posts are out there. There is no way I will not have to seek redress in reference to my reputation. Track and field is a part of what I do. I’m also involved with youngsters that I mentor and try to assist so there is no way that I can allow this to just be a passing fire,” said Wilson, who is also head coach at the GC Foster College-based Sprintec Track Club.

“I’ve seen these things happen before. Tyquendo Tracey has been disrespectful before to management. He has made allegations on social media before about his former coach Stephen Francis so this is his modus operandi. It is very difficult for me not to seek some form of redress. This has to do with my reputation.”

James is the most experienced member of the team, having competed at the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games and 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2022 World Championships.

He missed out on the 2017 World Championships due to illness. He is the most decorated 400-metre runner in history, winning gold, silver and bronze medals at both Olympic Games and World Championships.

The team also include two-time Javelin World champion, Anderson Peters; Commonwealth Games Decathlon champion, Lindon Victor and female sprinter Halle Hazzard.

Peters is attempting to rewrite the history books with a third consecutive gold medal at the World Championships.

The World Championships will take place August 19-27 at Hungary’s new National Athletics Centre in Budapest.

It was heartbreak for the Caribbean which ended outside of the medals in a scintillating women’s triple jump competition that was worth savouring at the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Friday.

While Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas (15.08m) secured a fourth-consecutive World title ahead of Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (15.00m) and Cuban Leyanis Perez Hernandez (14.96m), Jamaica's duo of Shaneika Ricketts and Kimberly Williams, as well as Dominican Thea Lafond, were left empty handed. 

Ricketts (14.92m) and Lafond (14.90m), in particular, would have felt hard done, as their marks which were a season’s best and National Record, respectively, were not good enough on the day. Williams was seventh with a best jump of 14.38m.

There was an electrifying start to the event with the first four jumpers setting the tone for what was to come for the remainder of the event.

Ricketts opened at an initial season’s best 14.86m and Ukraine’s Bekh-Romanchuk, also opened at a season’s best 15.00m, while Cuba’s Perez Hernandez opened at 14.96m and Lafond rewriting Dominica’s National Record with a 14.71m leap to start.

That bettered the 14.62m Lafond achieved in qualifying.

As the competition progressed, the medal places continually switched hands with the women laying down marker after marker, with the Dominican and Jamaican going even further on their initial efforts. 

However, it was Rojas, like a true champion that shook off a shaky start to her series to cut the sand at the winning mark on her very last attempt.