Tobi Amusan

Lyles broke Michael Johnson's long-standing American Record when he sped to 19.31 to win gold in Oregon last year while Jackson ran 21.45 to her first World title, becoming the fastest woman alive in the process.

The World Athletics Tour-Gold meet is happening for the first time since 2019, with the three-year hiatus being attributed to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is with great enthusiasm that I can announce the return of the Racers Grand Prix,” said Racers Track Club President and Head Coach Glen Mills at the official launch of the meet at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday.

“It is a meet you don’t want to miss. Three-and-a-half hours of pulsating action in 12 events,” added Mills who also serves as director for the meet.

The meet will host over 150 athletes from all over the world including the likes of reigning 100m hurdles World Champion and World Record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, Olympic Champion and 400m World Record holder Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa and British European 200m Champion Zharnel Hughes to name a few.

The future of Jamaican sprinting will also be on display at the National Stadium including the likes of World Championship finalist Oblique Seville, World Junior Champions Tina Clayton and Kerrica Hill as well as National Under-20 100m Record holder Bouwahjgie Nkrumie.

The field events also promise to be exciting for the fans with the likes of 2019 World Championship gold medallist Tajay Gayle and silver medallists Shanieka Ricketts and Fedrick Dacres set to showcase their skills.

“Over the four years of staging the Grand Prix, the standard and quality has been unquestionable and the meet has had some of the greatest athletes in track and field taking part here in Jamaica,” Mills said.

The 12 events set to be contested are the 100m (Men and Women), 200m (Men), 400m (Men and Women), 400m hurdles (Women), 100m hurdles (Women), 110m hurdles (Men), Triple Jump (Women), High Jump (Women), Long Jump (Men) and Discus (Men).

The meet is scheduled to get underway at 6:30pm Jamaica time (7:30pm ECT).

Tickets go on sale in the first week of May. Prices will be announced at a later date.

In a race where the top six athletes all ran under 12.5s, 2022 world champion Tobi Amusan clocked a season-s best 12.33 to hold off a fast-finishing Jasmine Camacho Quinn and former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who clocked 12.38 and 12.44, for second and third, respectively.

Williams, who was among the early leaders clocked 12.47 with Tapper close behind in 12.48, the same time as the USA’s Alaysha Johnson.

Anderson, who won her maiden national title in June, took home her first global medal when she won 100m hurdles silver at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

She ran a new personal best and national record 12.31 in the semi-finals on Sunday before returning to run a wind-aided 12.23 to claim second in the final later that day behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan who ran an insane wind-aided 12.06 for victory, hours after setting a new world record 12.12 in the semi-finals.

2015 World champion Danielle Williams previously held the national record of 12.32 which she set in 2019.

“I’m feeling really great. I’m excited that I came out here and did my best. It’s really great, the crowd is great and the energy out there is amazing,” Anderson said in a post-race interview.

She also revealed that it wasn’t a perfect race for her despite the fast time.

“The middle of the race wasn’t the best because I kept hitting the hurdles but thank God I finished with a medal,” she said.

The track at Hayward Field in Eugene has long been known to produce extremely fast times, an experience Anderson now knows first-hand.

“It’s definitely one of the fastest tracks I’ve run on. All I can say is we were blessed to have the perfect conditions, even though the time in the finals was wind-aided,” she said.

With the world record now standing at 12.12, “most definitely,” was Anderson’s response when asked if she thinks someone will go under 12 seconds in the 100m hurdles.

“The girls are really competitive so anything can happen. The hurdles has been so competitive these last few years. The girls have shown up and shown out and we can do so much more. The event, to me, is one of the best out here because it’s so technical. We have to keep the stride and the focus while going so fast,” Anderson said.

“I feel like we’re getting more control over our technique,” she added.

While it was unbridled joy for those three, it was heartbreak for another Jamaican Megan Tapper, as the Olympic medallist placed fourth and her time was not good enough to see her through to tomorrow’s final scheduled for 2:25pm Jamaica time.

Charlton and Tapper both ran from semi-final one, where they placed second and fourth respectively. Charlton, 27, secured the second automatic qualifying spot in 12.49s, behind American Kendra Harrison, who won in 12.33s.

Despite running her heart out, Tapper (12.55s) was out dipped by Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji (12.50s), who progressed to tomorrow’s final as one of the two fastest qualifiers on time ahead of the Jamaican.

The second semi-final was just an exciting with Ackera Nugent leading for most of the way but was pipped on the line by Nigeria’s World Record holder Tobi Amusan. Nugent stopped the clock in 12.60s, behind Amusan’s 12.56s.

The last of the three semi-finals saw Jamaica’s former World Champion Danielle Williams off to a blistering start, but she lost her composure close to the end and had to settle for third in a season’s best 12.50s. Fortunately, for her the time was good enough to progress to the final.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn produced a late burst to win in 21.41s, with American Nia Ali (12.49s), just bettering Williams on the line.

You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.

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.

Clarke, 47, recruited Amusan from Nigeria in 2016 bringing her to the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) after the then 18-year-old won the 100m hurdles in a time of 14.26 at the Junior African Championships in March 2015.

Since then, she has been the coach and second mother to Amusan, who ran 12.12 in the semi-finals to break the world record of 12.20 that had been held by American Kendra Harrison in July 2016.

Showing it was no fluke, Amusan would go on to win the title in an even faster 12.06 (2.5m/s). The run in the semi-final, Golding-Clarke said, was incredible but looking back, not really unexpected.

“At first it was unbelievable,” said the Golding Clarke who will take up a coaching position at her alma mater Auburn University in the Fall.

“We knew she could come close to running the then world record, we’ve rehearsed it in training a couple of times last year and this year. So, I know what she could do.

“However, I was very happy, excited and pleased because of all the hard work that went into training this season.”

Golding Clarke, the 2002 Commonwealth Games champion, said the work that went into preparing Amusan, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion, paid off massively.

“This season was the same as before with more speed and rhythm endurance work plus drilling techniques every training day,” she said.

“We focused more on staying healthy, we drilled technique that needed to be taken care of, and, of course, we paid extra attention to her rhythm/speed endurance.”

The proud coach also related that Amusan was driven by the disappointment of finishing fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

In Tokyo, Amusan crossed the line in 12.60 just behind Jamaica’s Megan Tapper 12.550, Harrison 12.520 and gold medallist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn 12.370. According to Clarke, she was motivated to redeem herself in Oregon.

“She wants to be the best she can be; specifically, she wanted to be on the podium, she did not want another fourth place at a global competition so she focused more on herself this time around and executing her race plan,” said Clarke.

The Jamaica coach describes the relationship between her and Amusan as being like family.

“The relationship is more like a mother/daughter type,” she said.

“Her mom sent her far away from home to get her education and to run track for the University of Texas at El Paso and so as a coach, I am her family away from home.

“Tobi is a dedicated and hard-working person, very persistent. She is sometimes goofy with persons she calls friends, very friendly and nice to speak with but mostly a loner.”

So sweet was the moment Amusan set the world record that not even the unfortunate comments from Michael Johnson, the multiple Olympic gold medallist and former 200m and 400m world-record holder, could ruin the occasion for Golding Clarke and her 24-year-old charge.

Johnson, who was a pundit during the championships, suggested that the timing system had malfunctioned during the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles. His comments drew the ire of Nigerians on social media. Golding scoffed at the comments.

“I really thought it very absurd,” she said.

“I did not really pay it any mind because that would take away from the joy of winning and breaking the world record.”

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.

Charlton and Nugent were the Caribbean’s shining lights on a day filled with shocks and surprises. Charlton delivered a strong performance in the opening semi-final heat, finishing second behind the USA’s Grace Stark, who clocked an impressive 12.39. Charlton, the reigning 60m hurdles indoor champion, secured her spot in the final with a time of 12.50. Amusan, the world record holder, could only manage third place in 12.55, which was not fast enough to advance, marking a stunning exit for the Nigerian star.

Jamaica's Williams, who entered the competition with high hopes of adding an Olympic title to her two world championships, endured a disappointing run. Williams struggled throughout her race, clipping several hurdles, and ultimately finished sixth in her heat with a time of 12.82, falling well short of the final.

The second semi-final saw another tough outing for the Caribbean. Charisma Taylor of the Bahamas ran a lifetime best of 12.63 but could only finish third, just behind Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, who clocked 12.43 to take the second automatic qualifying spot. Alaysha Johnson of the USA dominated the heat, winning comfortably in 12.34. Despite Taylor’s personal best, it wasn’t enough to secure a place in the final.

Jamaica’s Janeek Brown, who had made a return to competitive hurdling after a two-year hiatus, struggled in her semi-final. Brown, the 2019 NCAA champion, finished seventh in 12.92, far from her personal best of 12.40 set five years ago, and her Olympic journey ended in disappointment.

The third and final heat was the fastest and most competitive, with reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico laying down a marker with a smooth run to win in 12.35, the quickest time of the round. Masai Russell, the USA champion and world leader with a time of 12.25 earlier this season, finished second in 12.42, just ahead of Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, who crossed the line in 12.44. Despite finishing third, Nugent’s time was fast enough to secure her a spot in the final, keeping Jamaican hopes alive.

European champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France also advanced from this heat, finishing fourth in 12.52, a time that edged out Amusan for the last spot in the final.

With Charlton and Nugent advancing, the stage is set for a thrilling final later on Friday. They will face off against a formidable trio of American hurdlers—Grace Stark, Alaysha Johnson, and Masai Russell—alongside Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who looks determined to defend her Olympic title. The final promises to be a nail-biting clash, with both Caribbean athletes aiming to defy the odds and secure a place on the podium.

Fraser-Pryce ran her second sub 10.7 clocking this season, equalling her own world-leading 10.67 for victory ahead of Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.99) and Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou (11.01).

The eight-time Olympic and nine-time World Championship medallist previously ran 10.67 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya on May 7.

Bahamian Olympic 400m Champions Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo both also showed good form to secure 400m victories.

Gardiner, who is also the defending World Champion, produced a typically easy display of running to win in a season’s best 44.21, ahead of the Dominican Republic’s Lidio Andres Feliz (44.92) and South Africa’s Zakhiti Nene (44.99).

Miller-Uibo, on the other hand, went out extremely hard in the first three quarters of her race before shutting down with about 50 metres to go, to win in 50.10 ahead of Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek (50.24) and Anna Kielbasinska (50.28).

Bahamian Devynne Charlton ran a season’s best 12.63 to finish second in the 100m hurdles behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan who did a personal best and African record 12.41 for victory. Great Britain’s Cindy Sember ran 12.73 for third.

Cuba’s Jordan Diaz Fortun (17.66m) and Andy Diaz (17.65) were the top two finishers in the triple jump ahead of Olympic Champion Pedro Pichardo of Portugal (17.49m).

The five-time world 100m champion made the cut after the three-way voting process determined the finalists.

The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans logged their decisions online via the World Athletics social media platforms where a record 1.3 million votes were registered.

The World Athletics Council’s vote counted for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25 per cent of the final result.

Shericka Jackson, the 2022 World 200m champion, failed to make the cut.

Fraser-Pryce being among the finalists was not surprising given the outstanding year she had last season when she became the first running athlete to win five world titles in the same event and ran a record seven times under 10.7s including a world-leading 10.62s.

She was also the Diamond League champion for the fifth time in her illustrious career.

Also among the finalists is the newly minted 100m hurdles world-record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, who added the Diamond League and Commonwealth Games title to her resume during the past season. She set a new world record of 12.12 during the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July before running a wind-aided 12.06 to win her first global title.

Another world-record holder, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States, is also among the finalists. The super-talented American broke the 400m hurdles world record twice during the season – 51.41 at the US Championships before lowering it to a jaw-dropping 50.68 in the final of the World Championships.

McLaughlin won a second gold medal in Oregon as a member of the USA’s 4x400m relay team.

Also among the finalists is Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, the 2022 World Indoor and Outdoor triple jump champion. The 2022 Diamond League champion also improved upon her own world record in the event with a 15.74m performance in Belgrade.

Peru’s Kimberly Garcia completes the five finalists. Garcia, the World 20km race walk champion is her country’s first ever World Athletics Championships medallist. Garcia is also the World 35km race walk champion in a South American record that saw her complete a race walk double.

She is also World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships 20km bronze medallist.

The winner of World Athletics Women Athlete of the Year will be announced in early December.

World Athletics released the list of nominees on Wednesday.

Fraser-Pryce created history last season winning her fifth 100m World title which made her the first running athlete to win five titles since the World Championships began in 1983.

At age of 35, the Jamaican was also the oldest woman to win a sprint title.

Away from the championships, Fraser-Pryce also ran faster than 10.7 seconds a record seven times including a world-leading 10.62 during the season.

The previous record of four was set by compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah in 2021.

Fraser-Pryce also won a fifth Diamond League trophy in Zurich.

Jackson, 28, won her first global individual sprint title when she ran a world-leading 21.45 to win the 200m at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The time was the second fastest in history, was a new national record and was the fastest time run over the distance since Florence Griffith-Joyner ran the world record of 21.34 in 1988.

Jackson also won the 200m 200m Diamond League.

Miller-Uibo, meanwhile, was a three-time champion in 2022, winning the World Indoor 400m title in March and the World 400m title in July and the NACAC title in August.

But while the Caribbean athletes’ accomplishments have been impressive, it will take some doing to walk away with the AOY title as also among the nominees is the super-talented American Sydney McLaughlin, who broke the world record in the 400m hurdles twice during the season.

First, she ran a new world record of 51.41 at the US Championships and then lowered it to 50.68 at the World Championships where she also won gold as a member of the USA’s 4x400m relay team.

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan ran a world-record 12.12 at the World Championships and went on to win her first global title in the final. She followed up by winning her second Commonwealth Games title in a new championship record and then the Diamond League trophy.

Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas won world titles indoors and outdoors and improved her on her own world record taking it to 15.74m. She was also the Diamond League champion.

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon is also among the nominees as she won the World title and the Diamond League title in 2022. She also became the second fastest woman over the 1500m ever with a time of 3:50.37, which was just 0.3 outside the world record.

World shot put champion Chase Ealey of the USA, Peru’s Kimberly Garcia, the world 20km race walk champion and Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the world high jump champion are also among the nominees.

A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.

The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms.

Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube this week; a 'like' on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.

The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25 per cent of the final result.

Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on Monday 31 October.

 At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics.

 The winners will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms in early December.

Earlier, on Saturday afternoon, Jackson, the World 200m champion, wrote in her notebook that she wanted to run between 10.75 and 10.78 in the 100m later that evening. She duly delivered speeding to a season-best 10.78 to win the race by some distance over the ever-improving Anthonique Strachan, who ran a season-best 10.99.

Sasha Lee Forbes, who ran a lifetime best of 10.98 in Bermuda on May 21, produced another solid performance while finishing third in 11.07, her second fastest time ever.

The withdrawal of Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake from the men’s 100m final, took much of the sheen off what was expected to be a barn-burner that also featured American Christian Coleman. Nonetheless, the race delivered an exciting finish with the American holding off the challenge of Kadrian Goldson, who produced a lifetime best of 10.08 for second place.

Emmanuel Archibald of Guyana ran 10.23 to take the final podium spot.

The ‘B’ finals were also good value for money.

In September 2017, 20-year-old Michael Campbell suffered life-threatening injuries in a motor-vehicle accident that claimed the life of his friend and fellow athlete Jordon Scott. That same year, Campbell, a promising young prospect ran a lifetime best of 10.07 at a meet in Kingston.

On Saturday night, almost six years later, Campbell was back to his best winning the 100m in a season-best 10.08. He pumped his fist in elation when he looked across at the clock and noticed the winning time that had him well clear of Tyquendo Tracey, who ran 10.26 for second place and Kuron Griffith of Barbados, who ran a personal best of 10.30.

Remona Burchell, 2014 NCAA champion, clocked a season-best 11.17 to win the women’s race ahead of a fast-finishing Tia Clayton, who delivered a personal best of 11.23 and Briana Williams, who finished third in 11.30.

Lyles promised to do something special in Jamaica and he delivered. The super-confident American scorched the damp track to win in a meet record 19.67. Zharnel Hughes finished second in 20.14 while Rasheed Dwyer clocked a season’s best time of 20.53 for third.

The last time Wayde van Niekerk was in Jamaica, it was in 2017 to honour the retirement of his friend Usain Bolt, who had announced that he would walk away from her stellar career that year after a decade of dominance.

Later that same year, during a charity rugby match, the Olympic champion and world-record holder tore both the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus cartilage in his right leg bringing his track career to a screaming stop.

The past few years saw him struggle to regain the form that made him one of the best quarter-milers in history. By all indications, he is now back near to his best. After a 44.17 season best at the South African Championships in April, the now 30-year-old sprinter cruised to victory in 44.21, a new meet record.

Zandrian Barnes finished second in a new lifetime best of 44.90, making him the third Jamaican to break 45 seconds this season. Jamaica’s national record holder, Rusheen McDonald was third in 45.24.

Antonio Watson was the second Jamaican to break 45 seconds this season when he won the ‘B’ final in a lifetime best of 44.75 that had the thousands in attendance cheering wildly.

Promising 400m hurdler Roshawn Clarke also ran a lifetime best of 45.24 for second place with Assinie Wilson finishing third also in a personal best of 45.51.

Charokee Young took control of the women’s race with about 120m to go and held off a strong field to win in 51.10 over Stacey-Ann Williams who ran a decent 51.34 for second place. The USA’s Kendall Ellis was third in a season-best 51.37.

Tobi Amusan arrived in Jamaica coming off a disappointing last-place finish in the 100m hurdles at the LA Grand Prix a week ago. The 12.69 she ran then was well off the Nigerian’s world record of 12.12 set in Eugene, Oregon last year. However, a week later she was much better, hurdling to victory in 12.57, a season’s best time and a marked improvement over a week ago.

Tia Jones, the 2018 World U20 champion, finished second in 12.72 while holding off Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper, who finished third in 12.80.

The 110m further confirmed the resurrection of the career of Tyler Mason, the once promising Jamaica College high school hurdler. After running 13.32 in Costa Rica in 2015, Mason, because of injury and poor form, struggled to fulfill his immense potential and many pundits saw his career as being on life support, especially after a season-best 14.12 in 2021.

There were signs of life in 2022 when he ran 13.34 in Tennessee and again earlier this year when he ran 13.32 at the National Stadium in April. On Saturday night, the 27-year-old Mason, told the world that news of his career’s demise were greatly exaggerated when he ran a slightly wind-aided 13.14 (2.3m/s) to win a close race over Orlando Bennett (13.18) and Damion Thomas 13.29.

Shian Salmon was impressive in victory to open proceedings in the 400m hurdles, winning in 55.10 over Rhonda Whyte 55.55 and Cassandra Tate of the USA, who took third in 55.62.

Two-time World Championships silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts won the triple jump over rival and friend Thea LaFond of Dominica in less than ideal conditions. The cool temperatures and negative headwind notwithstanding, Ricketts’ 14.32m to was enough to secure the victory ahead of LaFond’s 14.15m.

Imani Oliver of the USA could only muster 12.97m for third place.

Samoa’s Alex Rose won the men’s discus with a throw of 65.86m with Traves Smikle taking second place with 65.15m. Kai Change threw 63.19m for third place.

Lushane Wilson cleared 2.20m to win the high jump over Raymond Richards (2.15m) and Christoff Bryan (2.10m).

Renowned Jamaican coach Glen Mills, celebrated for mentoring sprint legends like Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, has revealed his excitement about working with 100m hurdles world-record holder and 2022 world champion, Tobi Amusan. The Nigerian star, who was previously been coached by Jamaican Olympian Lacena Golding-Clarke, has secretly been training in Jamaica under Mills' guidance since September.

Nugent, the newly crowned Jamaican champion and national record holder, displayed her prowess by winning the final of five heats in a time of 12.65. Nugent's smooth run ensured her progression to the semi-finals, where she is expected to be a formidable contender for a medal. Charlton of the Bahamas, running in the same heat, also secured her spot in the next round with a strong performance, finishing in 12.71. Grace Stark of the USA was a close third, clocking 12.72.

Williams, a two-time world champion, looked comfortable as she claimed victory in Heat 4 with a time of 12.59. Williams finished well ahead of Ireland’s Sarah Lavin, who crossed the line in 12.73, and Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, who recorded 12.81.

Brown, the 2019 NCAA champion, faced a tough challenge in the opening heat but managed to advance by finishing third with a time of 12.84. The heat was won by world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, who clocked 12.49, with American Alaysha Johnson finishing second in 12.61.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico posted the fastest time of the round, winning Heat 2 in a blistering 12.42. Camacho-Quinn's dominance left Great Britain’s Cindy Sember (12.72) and Poland’s Pia Skrzysowska (12.82) trailing in her wake.

In Heat 3, American champion Russell and Nadine Visser of the Netherlands finished together in 12.53, with Russell being declared the winner. European champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France was right behind them, clocking 12.56.

The stage is now set for a series of mouth-watering duels as these elite hurdlers vie for a place in the final and a shot at Olympic glory.

Clocking a time of 12.80 seconds, Tapper finished behind American athlete Tia Jones, who secured second place with a time of 12.72 seconds, and the world champion and world-record holder Tobi Amusan, who claimed victory with a season-best time of 12.57 seconds. Despite the podium finish, Tapper was far from pleased with her own performance.

The diminutive sprint hurdler, known for her tenacity and determination, revealed that she has been facing various physical challenges that for the first time manifested themselves in a race, further hindering her performance.

In an interview following the race, Tapper shared her disappointment, saying, "I was ready to run, ready to compete, do my best, and run the fastest time I've ever achieved before the national trials at home in front of the Jamaicans, who show me so much love, but it just wasn't in the cards for me unfortunately."

Nevertheless, Tapper maintained a positive outlook and expressed relief that the subpar performance occurred at the Racers Grand Prix rather than during the upcoming National Trials. She acknowledged the significance of running in front of her fellow Jamaicans and saw the race as a learning opportunity and a chance for growth.

Tapper's time of 12.80 seconds, which she considered mediocre, has not dampened her determination. Looking ahead to the national championships in the next four weeks, she remains optimistic and hopeful for a better outcome. She remarked, "12.80 in a mediocre performance for me, but it gives me hope, and I'll continue to look forward with great expectations as I prepare for the national championships."

The hurdles specialist also opened up about the challenges she has been facing, stating, "It's really hard to come to terms with the idea that a lot of things that worked for you, that you literally can attribute to your past success, are roadblocks or hindrances now." Despite these ongoing obstacles, Tapper emphasized her resilience and growth, highlighting that she is handling the challenges better than she would have in the past.

As Megan Tapper continues her preparations for the national championships, her unwavering determination and ability to overcome obstacles will undoubtedly fuel her pursuit of success on the track. Jamaican fans eagerly await her next performance, ready to support and cheer on their history-making athlete as she strives to reach new heights in her career.

Anderson, who won her first Jamaican national title in June, was first up and comfortably advanced to the semi-finals with 12.60 to win heat one.

There was also a major casualty in the first heat as defending world champion Nia Ali of the USA failed to advance after clipping the ninth hurdle and falling to the track.

Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico was next up, running 12.52 to win heat two ahead of Bahamian world indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton (12.69).

Jamaican 2015 world champion Danielle Williams finished second in heat three with 12.87 to advance. Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan cruised to a new national record 12.40 to win the heat.

Costa Rica’s Andrea Carolina Vargas ran 13.12 for third in heat four to advance.

Tapper, bronze medallist at the Olympics last year, ran 12.73 to finish second behind American Alia Armstrong (12.48) in heat five and progress.

World leader and world record holder Kendra Harrison of the USA ran 12.60 to win heat six and advance.

Ricketts, who has a season’s best of 14.43m, finished ahead of Slovenia’s Neja Filipic (14.26m) and the USA’s Tori Franklin (14.05m) at the meet, which is a part of the World Athletics Continental Tour-Gold.

Also in action was 2019 World Champion and current world leader in the Men’s javelin, Anderson Peters of Grenada. He produced a distance of 86.60m for third in the event behind Indian Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra who, in his first competition of the season, threw a personal best and national record 89.30 to finish second. Finland’s Oliver Helander threw a personal best 89.83m for the win.

Jamaican Olympic finalist Britany Anderson had to settle for second in the 100m hurdles in 12.59 after being narrowly out-dipped at the finish line by Nigeria’s reigning Commonwealth Games Champion Tobi Amusan (12.57). Nadine Visser of the Netherlands was third in 12.72.

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.

Jamaica’s Tapper and The Bahamas’ Charlton ran times of 12.68 and 12.70, respectively, to finish first and second in heat two and advance.

Williams advances after finishing second in heat one in 12.80 behind England’s Cindy Sember (12.67).

World Champion and world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria qualified for the final fastest with a time of 12.40 to win heat three.

Jamaica also qualified for the final of the Men’s 4x400m relay after a second-place finish in heat one.

The quartet of Karayme Bartley, Anthony Cox, Navasky Anderson and Javon Francis combined to run 3:05.20 to finish behind Botswana (3:05.11).

Trinidad & Tobago (3:07.12) and Barbados (3:07.23) finished third and fourth in heat two and also booked spots in the final.

In the field, Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith (6.35m) and Trinidad & Tobago’s Tyra Gittens (6.28m) both advanced to the final of the Women’s long jump.

Williams, the 2015 world champion and the 2019 bronze medalist, shocked a stacked field at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last week, winning her second title in 12.43s, her fastest time this year. In claiming victory, she defeated Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who won silver and bronze, respectively.

Williams also defeated Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, who set the world record of 12.12 at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2022.

At Wednesday’s press conference ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, Williams was asked whether she believes she can challenge Amusan’s world record, which raised eyebrows when she stormed to victory in her semi-final heat last year.

“From the moment I started getting competitive in the hurdles, many people told me that I have the potential to break the world record. I didn't necessarily believe it at the time. I just thought, you know, you guys are just talking,” said Williams, who has run a lifetime best of 12.32, the second fastest time ever run by a Jamaican woman.

“But the more I go, the more I believe that it is in range.”

Williams, who was third at Jamaica’s national championships in July, revealed she has actually had dreams of setting the world record.

“Funny story, 12.12, the time that Tobi ran to break the record last year, I actually had a dream a few years ago that the world record was going to be 12.12 seconds. I thought it was that was going to be me who's going to break it, but it wasn't,” she said.

“And so I still believe that it is within range. You know, we're all out here, the essence of track and field is running as fast as you can, and so I believe that I can run 12.1 seconds. It's just a lot of things that need to be tweaked to get there, but I think I could get there.”

In Zurich on Thursday, Williams will once again face Camacho-Quinn and Harrison in Zurich in another stacked field that also includes 2019 world champion Nia Ali, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, Tia Jones and Alasyha Johnson.