Jamaica’s Megan Tapper claimed the country’s first bronze medal in the women’s 100m hurdles after battling to the line in Tokyo on Saturday.
Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who is unbeaten this season, followed up an Olympic record of 12.26 in the semi-finals by running 12.36 to win her first Olympic gold medal, five years after hitting a hurdle and crashing out at the semi-final stage in Rio.
Tapper ran 12.55 to win the bronze medal. The world record holder, Keni Harrison of the USA, won silver in 12.52 to also secure her first Olympic medal.
Bahamian Devynne Charlton finished 6th in 12.74 and Jamaica’s Brittany Anderson finished 8th in 13.24.
Men’s Long Jump
The Caribbean secured two medals in the men’s long jump after Cuba’s Juan Miguel Echevarria and Maykel Masso finished second and third with jumps of 8.41 and 8.21 respectively.
The gold medalist, Miltiadis Tentoglu of Greece, also jumped 8.41 but was determined as the outright winner on countback because his second-longest jump of 8.15 was longer than Echevarria’s second-longest of 8.09.
Jamaica’s reigning world champion, Tajay Gayle, valiantly made an attempt to compete after picking up a left knee injury in qualifying. Jumping with heavy strapping on that knee, Gayle fouled his first two attempts before registering 7.69 on his third to finish 11th overall.
Women’s Triple Jump
Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica narrowly missed out on a medal. Ricketts finished fourth after leaping out to 14.84 on her fourth-round attempt.
The Jamaican was in third place going into the fifth round until Spain’s Ana Peleteiro produced a national record of 14.87 to overtake Ricketts and secure the bronze medal.
The competition also saw Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas win her first Olympic gold medal by jumping to a new world record of 15.67 metres, breaking the previous mark of 15.50 set at the 1995 World Championships by Ukrainian Inessa Kravets.
The other Jamaican in the final, Kimberly Williams, finished eighth with a jump of 14.51.
Men’s 400 metres Hurdles
Only one Caribbean athlete advanced to the final. Both Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands and Jaheel Hyde of Jamaica lined up in semi-final 3 and with 100 metres to go, they both looked in good shape to get to the final.
Unfortunately, Hyde hit the eighth hurdle badly and fell, taking him out of contention.
He ended up jogging to the finish in a time of 1:27.38.
McMaster went on to win the semi-final in 48.26 and advance to his first Olympic final.
Men’s 100m
No Caribbean men advanced to the final of the men’s 100 metres as Jamaica’s Yohan Blake and Oblique Seville both came up short in their semi-final races.
Blake finished sixth in semi-final 1 in 10.14 and Seville finished fourth in semi-final 2 in 10.09.
The final eventually saw Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs take gold in 9.80 ahead of the USA’s Fred Kerley who ran 9.84 for second and Canada’s Andre DeGrasse who ran 9.89 for third, his second successive Olympic 100 metres bronze medal.
All three men recorded personal bests in the race.
Women’s 1500 Metres
Jamaica’s Aisha Praught-Leer competed in heat 2 of the women’s 1500 metres despite injury and finished 13th in a time of 4:15.31.
Women’s 200 Metres
Four Caribbean women advanced to the semi-finals of the 200 metres.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas finished second in heat 1 with a time of 22.40 to advance.
100 metres silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was next to confirm her spot in the next round, comfortably winning heat 2 in 22.22.
Heat 5 was won by Bahamian Anthonique Strachan in 22.76 but the biggest story from that race was Shericka Jackson of Jamaica.
The 100 metres bronze medalist failed to advance after easing up at the line and being passed Italy’s Dalia Kaddari.
100 metres gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica was very conservative in heat 6, finishing third in 22.86 to secure her spot in the semi-finals.
Dalilah Muhammad headlines additions to star-studded line up for Jamaica Athletics Invitational
The excitement is building for the upcoming Jamaica Athletics Invitational, set to take place on May 11 at the National Stadium in Kingston, as 2016 Olympic 400m hurdles champion Dalilah Muhammad joins the list of confirmed international stars for the event. Muhammad, a former world record holder and two-time world champion, brings her stellar track record to Kingston following her silver medal performance at the Tokyo Games.
Alongside Muhammad, a host of emerging Jamaican talents will also grace the track, including standout sprinters Alana Reid, Briana Williams, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, and Sandrey Davison.
Reid has been training alongside World 100m champion Sha'Carri Richardson in Florida and will be looking to make an early statement on her form leading into the national championships in June.
Williams, under the mentorship of distinguished coach John Smith in California, is an Olympic sprint relay gold medalist and a two-time World Championship silver medallist who is eager for a return to form.
Nkrumie, who last year became the first Jamaican schoolboy to break the 10-second barrier, and Davison, both formidable sprinters in their own right, add depth to sprint line up with Davison currently holding the title of fastest Jamaican over 100m this year.
Marvin Anderson, Athletes' Liaison for the Jamaica Athletics Invitational, expressed his enthusiasm for the calibre of athletes set to compete. "We are pleased with the confirmed list to date and excited about the level of competition the athletes and fans should experience," he remarked.
Anticipation is high for a thrilling series of events both on the track and in the field.
Tickets for the May 11 event are already available online, with ticket locations opening on May 4. Grandstand tickets are priced at $3,000, while bleacher seating is free of charge. The meet is scheduled to run from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm, followed by an after-party to celebrate an evening of world-class athletics.
The Jamaica Athletics Invitational promises to deliver top-notch competition and showcase the immense talent within the track and field community. With international stars like Dalilah Muhammad and rising Jamaican sensations like Alana Reid and Briana Williams, fans can expect an unforgettable evening of athletic prowess at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Jamaica’s girls dominate field events on opening day at Penn Relays: Bahamas thrower wins javelin event
Caribbean athletes showcased their prowess in the field on the opening day of the 128th edition of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Thursday. Chief among them were the Jamaicans who enjoyed podium places in the high jump and triple jump events with the Bahamas taking gold in the javelin.
Shaniqua Williams and Danielle Noble, both of Wolmer’s Girls, secured a 1-2 finish in the keenly contested high school girls high jump. Williams’ winning mark of 1.73m was also cleared by Noble and Alysa Carrigan.
However, she won on the basis of a cleaner record during the rounds.
Williams said it was cold and her muscles were lazy but she knew what she had to do to win.
“Despite that I came out here and did what I had to do which was focus on my technique,” she said. “The weather was very cold and I am not used to this kind of weather so I had to take a long time to warm up.”
The Jamaicans were not alone in their dominance as Taysha Stubbs who attends Queens College in the Bahamas showcased her incredible skill and strength in winning the high school girls javelin with an outstanding throw of 47.17m.
Stubbs was several metres better than her main rivals in Sophia Scott of Omaha Burke, who took second place with a throw of 44.79m. In a close third place was Eliana Schneider who produced a best mark of 44.78m.
Jamaicans Marla-Kay Lampart and Kimeka Smith were second and third, respectively in the high school girls shot put that was won by Jessica Oji of Livingston with an impressive throw of 14.01m.
Lampart of Claredon College threw 13.64m for second place while Smith mustered a throw of 13.46m for third place.
Jamaica’s girls won the top four places in the high school girls triple jump competition.
Jade-Ann Dawkins of St Jago finished atop the podium with a distance of 13.01m. Jadea Robinson of Immaculate Conception was in second position with her jump of 12.70m just ahead of Celine Riddle of Holmwood Technical (12.69m).
Richelle Stanley of St Elizabeth Technical (12.55m) was fourth.
Nahjahda Seymoure of Excelsior High threw an impressive 48.08m to finish in second position in the high school girls discus competition that was won by Layla Giordano of NV Old Tappan who hurled the implement out to a winning mark of 51.17m.
Able Mills of St Catherine High threw 48.01m for third place.
Mills’ teammate Rohanna Sudlow jumped 5.83m to finish in third place in the high school girls long jump.
Jaydon Hibbert excited to make his professional debut at USATF Bermuda Grand Prix on Sunday
Jamaica's rising triple jump sensation Jaydon Hibbert is set for his professional debut at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix this Sunday.
From holding both the indoor and outdoor NCAA records to becoming the first Jamaican and the youngest athlete to win the coveted Bowerman Award, Hibbert's journey has been an exciting display of exceptional talent in the jumps. He eagerly awaits the Bermuda Grand Prix this Sunday,
"Finally, I'll be opening my season. I'm grateful and happy that I am ready to compete and I'm excited to see where I am in my preparations. I've never visited Bermuda before, but I expect it to be fun. I've heard it's an electrifying stadium, which jumpers need, so I look forward to the crowd support," he exclaimed.
The 19-year-old won the gold medal at the 2022 World U20 championships and is the holder of the U20 indoor and outdoor triple jump world records at 17.54m and 17.87m, respectively. He went undefeated during his freshman year at the University of Arkansas in 2023 before transitioning to the professional ranks in January.
"Since I started doing the sport, I've been looking forward to competing professionally. I can't wait to get out there and make my coach and family proud. I'm praying for a great season!" he exclaimed hardly able to contain his excitement.
The Bermuda Grand Prix, also known as the "Prelude to Paris", will start at 3 pm Jamaica time at the Flora Duffy Stadium. Action is live on Peacock via NBC Sports.
--
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
