Jamaica picked up a silver medal on the final day of competition at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Sunday.

Jamaica’s team of Candice McLeod, Janieve Russell, Nickisha Pryce and Stacey-Ann Williams, ran bravely and led for much of the race before Femke Bol got by Williams five metres out from the finish line to win gold in 3:20.72.

Jamaica clocked 3:20.88 while Great Britain was third in 3:21.04. This medal was Jamaica’s 12^th of the championships.

Their men were expected to contend for a medal in the 4x400m relay but they were run out of it and finished fourth in a season-best 2:59.34.

The USA won gold in a world-leading time of 2:57.31. France ran a national record 2:58.45 for the silver medal with Great Britain taking bronze having run 2:58.71, a season’s best time.

Meanwhile, Lamara Distin finished fifth in the high jump competition. Having cleared 1.94m to put herself in the hunt for medals, Distin failed in her three attempts at 1.97m and bowed out of the competition.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh of the Ukraine took gold with a clearance of 2:01 with Australia’s Eleanor Patterson taking the silver with 1.99m.

Patterson’s teammate Nicola Olyslagers claimed the bronze with 1.99m.

Morgan Lake of Great Britain was fourth having cleared 1.97.

Jamaica with 12 medals – three gold, five silver and four bronze medals – finished fourth at the championships.

Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson insisted it is only a matter of time before she ends her silver streak with gold.

The 21-year-old was beaten to 800 metres gold at the World Championships by Kenya’s Mary Moraa in Budapest, just 13 months after she also finished second in Eugene.

Hodgkinson’s silver was added to by two 4x400m relay bronze medals on the final day meaning Great British finish with 10 – their joint best at the World Championships, level with Stuttgart in 1993.

She clocked one minute 56.34 seconds with defending champion Athing Mu in third and GB’s Jemma Reekie fifth.

Hodgkinson had been beaten into silver by Mu at last year’s World Championships before Moraa took gold at the Commonwealth Games ahead of her.

Before the final the Olympic silver medallist admitted she owed them both and feels gold is within her grasp.

She said: “I wanted to come here to get gold but it’s another podium and consistency has been the word I’ve been using. It’s three silvers now so it should be at one point I’m going to get a gold, it’s just a matter of when.

“I’m happy with my performance, gutted I didn’t come out on top but it’s great to be up there with the top three in the world.

“Mary got the jump on us and you can’t really afford that with those two girls. It was a really good race from us all.

“It keeps me on my toes. I’m trying to keep the streak going where I consistently pick up medals. It’s that tiny one per cent so I’ll keep striving towards it.”

Hodgkinson was unable to match Moraa’s pace in the home straight as the Kenyan won in one minute 53.03s but at least overhauled Mu with 50m remaining.

The Briton added: “To be consistently up with the best in the world is all I want from my career. I did think I was going to come through on the inside. The line just came quicker than I thought it would.

“I gave it my all, like I always do. I don’t think I put a foot wrong. I do love it. I was really looking forward to it. I was really up for it. I really did believe I was going to win again – you’ve got to believe, that is half the battle.

“It is a different order to last year, who knows what order it will be next year (at the Olympics)?

“It’s an Olympic year – everyone brings even more of their A game than they usually do. There is no stone left unturned. Like I say, we’ll aim for gold again and see what happens.”

Reekie, who split from long-term coach Andy Young in March, was third with 200m left but could not keep pace in the home straight.

She said: “I am proud of the way I ran it. I was brave and I went out, it was probably just a bit hot in the first lap.

“I am proud of the way I ran this season. I went to Jon (Bigg, coach) in an absolute mess and our goal was always to run under two minutes again consistently. To be here in the final is exciting for next year.”

Later, the men’s 4x400m relay team of Alex Haydock-Wilson. Charlie Dobson, Lewis Davey and Rio Mitcham won bronze behind the USA and France.

The women’s squad of Laviai Nielsen, Amber Anning, Ama Pipi and Nicole Yeargin also claimed third in a dramatic finish which saw the Netherlands beat Jamaica on the line after a stunning run from Femke Bol.

Morgan Lake finished fourth in the high jump after a clearance of 1.97m.

Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson insisted it is only a matter of time before she ends her silver streak with gold.

The 21-year-old was beaten to 800 metres gold at the World Championships by Kenya’s Mary Moraa in Budapest, just 13 months after she also finished second in Eugene.

Hodgkinson’s silver was added to by two 4x400m relay bronze medals on the final day meaning Great British finish with 10 – their joint best at the World Championships, level with Stuttgart in 1993.

She clocked one minute 56.34 seconds with defending champion Athing Mu in third and GB’s Jemma Reekie fifth.

Hodgkinson had been beaten into silver by Mu at last year’s World Championships before Moraa took gold at the Commonwealth Games ahead of her.

Before the final the Olympic silver medallist admitted she owed them both and feels gold is within her grasp.

She said: “I wanted to come here to get gold but it’s another podium and consistency has been the word I’ve been using. It’s three silvers now so it should be at one point I’m going to get a gold, it’s just a matter of when.

“I’m happy with my performance, gutted I didn’t come out on top but it’s great to be up there with the top three in the world.

“Mary got the jump on us and you can’t really afford that with those two girls. It was a really good race from us all.

“It keeps me on my toes. I’m trying to keep the streak going where I consistently pick up medals. It’s that tiny one per cent so I’ll keep striving towards it.”

Hodgkinson was unable to match Moraa’s pace in the home straight as the Kenyan won in one minute 53.03s but at least overhauled Mu with 50m remaining.

The Briton added: “To be consistently up with the best in the world is all I want from my career. I did think I was going to come through on the inside. The line just came quicker than I thought it would.

“I gave it my all, like I always do. I don’t think I put a foot wrong. I do love it. I was really looking forward to it. I was really up for it. I really did believe I was going to win again – you’ve got to believe, that is half the battle.

“It is a different order to last year, who knows what order it will be next year (at the Olympics)?

“It’s an Olympic year – everyone brings even more of their A game than they usually do. There is no stone left unturned. Like I say, we’ll aim for gold again and see what happens.”

Reekie, who split from long-term coach Andy Young in March, was third with 200m left but could not keep pace in the home straight.

She said: “I am proud of the way I ran it. I was brave and I went out, it was probably just a bit hot in the first lap.

“I am proud of the way I ran this season. I went to Jon (Bigg, coach) in an absolute mess and our goal was always to run under two minutes again consistently. To be here in the final is exciting for next year.”

Later, the men’s 4x400m relay team of Alex Haydock-Wilson. Charlie Dobson, Lewis Davey and Rio Mitcham won bronze behind the USA and France.

The women’s squad of Laviai Nielsen, Amber Anning, Ama Pipi and Nicole Yeargin also claimed third in a dramatic finish which saw the Netherlands beat Jamaica on the line after a stunning run from Femke Bol.

Morgan Lake finished fourth in the high jump after a clearance of 1.97m.

Kenya’s Mary Moraa won a thrilling 800m final on Sunday’s final day of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary

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.

Dominica's Thea LaFond made her mark on history during the fiercely contested women's triple jump at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Despite finishing fifth, LaFond's performance was nothing short of remarkable, as she broke her own national record not once, but twice during the competition, with jumps of 14.71m and 14.90m. These marks would have secured her a medal in most world championships, highlighting the level of competition she faced.

 The women's triple jump event was a showcase of unparalleled athleticism and grit, with Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela securing her fourth world title with a leap of 15.08m on her final jump. The competition was defined by its intensity, with Rojas narrowly making the final round of jumps after initially being tied for eighth. Ukraine's Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk clinched the silver medal with a season's best of 15.00m, while Cuba's Leyanis Perez-Hernandez secured the bronze with a jump of 14.96m.

 Jamaica's Shanieka Ricketts, a two-time world championship silver medalist, claimed fourth place with a season's best of 14.93m, while Cuba's Liadagmis Povea's best effort of 14.87m placed her in sixth position in the closely contested contest.

 Reflecting on her remarkable journey, LaFond expressed the historic significance of the event.

 "So the competition was really, honestly like history making, to be honest. I mean, you're talking about probably the hardest women's triple term final in the history of the World Championships and it was it was a battle and I'm happy to be part of it and as happy as able to fight, but it was definitely a battle," she said.

 LaFond acknowledged the work she had put in to refine her technique leading up to the event.

 "Earlier this year we did talk about working on different parts of the phases and to the question of did it all come together at the right time, honestly, no. I mean that 1490 was not a perfect jump. It was far from it, which only tells me that there's more left in the tank and I'm excited to see what comes next," she told Sportsmax.TV.

 While her performance would have secured a medal in most years, LaFond faced the challenge of competing in a highly competitive field. "To be honest, 14.90m would have won a medal any year and it's like it's definitely frustrating, you know, but it is quite an honor to be competing in the sport at the height of the sport, truly. But yeah, it's a tough reality."

LaFond candidly expressed her feelings about the thrilling finale of the competition, where Rojas clinched victory with her final jump.

 "It was definitely, I don't even know if the word is deflating. It was just kind of annoying," she confessed. "She was definitely the most vulnerable she's ever looked in the competition, definitely in any major championships, but definitely not deflating. Annoying definitely, but there's nothing deflating over here."

 Amidst the intense competition and emotions, LaFond highlighted the remarkable progression of the sport.

 "Six women over 14.80m. That just means that our sport is getting insane and we're definitely pushing the limits to what people even thought the sport could be," she said.

"And to see so many women, so, so many minority women at that, I'm at the top of the sport. It's really a great feeling. And I really hope that you know, other, you know, little brown girls around the world are finding inspiration through what we do."

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s injury suffered during the second leg of the 4x100m relay on Saturday is not considered serious and the iconic Jamaican sprinter is said to be in good spirits.

Fraser-Pryce sustained a hamstring injury early on the second leg of the sprint relay but still managed to hand the baton off to third-leg runner Sashalee Forbes that enabled the Jamaicans to complete the relay and win a silver medal.

She was taken to hospital in Budapest where she underwent scans on the injured leg.

Overnight, there was concern about the severity of the injury to Fraser-Pryce who went into competition with an injured right knee that caused her to be well below her best in the 100m in which she ran a season-best 10.77 for a bronze medal.

However, the news on Sunday was encouraging as according to team doctor Dr Warren Blake, who spoke with the Jamaican Observer, the injury was not as bad as initially feared and that Fraser-Pryce, notwithstanding the circumstances, was in good spirits. Dr Blake revealed that her disappointment was with the fact that Jamaica did not win the gold medal.

Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has praised Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce for her tenacity and inner strength that, after suffering an injury, allowed her to finish her leg of the 4×100m relay Saturday to help Jamaica to get the silver medal at the World Championships in Budapest.

Running on the back-stretch, Fraser-Pryce reported suffered a hamstring strain early into the leg but risking even greater injury, still managed to get the baton to Sashalee Forbes so that Jamaica was able to complete the relay.

Put in a disadvantageous position, Shericka Jackson on anchor was unable to overhaul 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson on the anchor leg.

The Jamaican minister, who is in Budapest, was impressed by Fraser-Pryce’s courage in the face of great personal injury.

 "Shelly, regarded by many as the greatest woman sprinter of all time, demonstrated another aspect of her greatness today (Saturday) when she suffered a muscle strain during the race but pushed on in spite of to safely hand off the baton, ensuring our medal,” the minister said.

"All of Jamaica hails you Shelly and we are grateful for your feat of seeing it through for the country despite the pain you must have been feeling. We are praying for your full and speedy recovery."

Following the race, Fraser-Pryce’s teammates rushed to the medical facility to support the veteran sprinter, who despite nursing a knee injury won bronze in the 100m final on last Monday to win her 15^th medal at the World Championships.

The relay silver medal is her 16^th and makes her Jamaica’s most decorated athlete – male or female – at the championships that began in 1983.

Great Britain’s Ben Pattison grabbed a brilliant bronze at the World Championships – and revealed he had life-saving heart surgery just three years ago.

The 21-year-old became the first British male athlete to win an 800m medal at the World Championships since Peter Elliott’s silver in 1987.

It came after an operation during the Covid pandemic to fix a heart issue which had seen his heart rate skyrocket to 250 beats per minute.

Pattison grabbed third behind champion Marco Aprop and Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi in Budapest.

He said: “I had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. It was a bit scary at the time. It was Covid years so I didn’t miss out on racing but I was awake for the whole thing. It was a bit surreal. I was watching.

“They had to burn off a bit of my heart. At the time it was very scary but I had the right people around me.

“When they rang me they were pretty worried and as soon as they told me I wasn’t allowed to exercise at all.

“All I was allowed to do was go for walks, so I said to myself I’m going to go for walks every day. I had a lot of my friends on PS4 because it was the Covid times. So we’d wake up, get on Call of Duty.

“I remember when I got told I was like: ‘Is this my running career done?’ I almost had in the back of my head: ‘Is this the reason I’m good at running, because I’ve got this freaky heart?’

“I was almost worried when I got back I wouldn’t be the same.”

Pattison won bronze at last year’s Commonwealth Games but was not expected to challenge for the podium at the National Athletics Centre.

“I’ve never been the stand-out guy,” said the Loughborough Business Analytics graduate, who ran one minute 44.83 seconds.

“I’ve always been the guy on the team that’s been in the second or third place. I don’t win a lot of the domestic races but when it matters, I’m there.

“I’ve never not made a final in my life. I’ve got a Commonwealth medal and a world medal. If you’d told 10-year-old Ben he retired with a 1.44 personal best, a Commonwealth and world medal he’d have gone: ‘Who’s this looney?'”

Dina Asher-Smith was missing from the women’s 4x100m relay as Asha Philip, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Bianca Williams and Daryll Neita claimed bronze.

Asher-Smith, who came seventh in the 200m final on Friday, revealed she had been dealing with a neural problem following the 100m semi last week.

The 27-year-old was unable to feel her legs in the closing stage of her race and will now leave the Championships without a medal.

The quartet still produced a season’s best of 41.97s to finish third as the USA and Jamaica claimed gold and silver.

Williams said: “We found out this morning (about Asher-Smith’s absence) but we’ve all done changes together. We all work well together. If Dina was here, great. She’s not here and we still got a medal.”

Neita added: “I’m really feeling this as a major stepping stone towards Paris and the Olympics. But in terms of the relay, it’s just another amazing medal to add to my collection.”

Jeremiah Azu, Zharnel Hughes, Adam Gemili and Eugene Amo-Dadzie finished fourth in the men’s 4x100m relay behind the USA, Italy and Jamaica.

The men of Lewis Davey, Charlie Dobson, Rio Mitcham and Alex Haydock-Wilson reached their 4x400m relay final.

Laviai Nielsen, Amber Anning, Nicole Yeargin and Yemi Mary John also reached their 4x400m relay final in three minutes 23.33s.

It was always expected to be an almighty clash between reigning women’s 4x100m relay champions United States and Olympic champions Jamaica. In the end, it was the Americans who prevailed in the final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday.

The American quartet of Tamari Davis, Twanisha Terry, Gabrielle Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson, topped the event in a Championship record 41.03s Championship Record, ahead of their Jamaican counterparts – Natasha Morrison, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shashalee Forbes and Shericka Jackson –who ended in season’s best 41.21s.

Great Britain’s quartet of Asha Phillip, Imani Lansiquot, Bianca Williams and Daryll Neita, was third in a season’s best 41.97s.

During the event, Fraser-Pryce who has been braving a chronic knee injury, suffered what is reported to be a muscle strain, but like a warrior, pushed through the difficulty to safely hand off the baton, ensuring the country ended with a medal.

Jamaica’s men’s 4x100m team secured a bronze medal on day eight of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday.

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.

Grenada’s Lindon Victor took home a historic bronze medal in the decathlon on day eight of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday.

The 30-year-old two-time Commonwealth champion took home the country’s first ever major championship medal in the event with a national record 8756 points.

Canada’s Pierce LePage and Damian Warner took gold and silver with 8909 points and 8804 points, respectively.

Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd had to settle for fifth in the women’s shot put final, as American Chase Ealy successfully defended her title at the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.

Ealy topped the event with a season’s best 20.43m, ahead of China’s Olympic champion Lijao Gong (19.69m), who retained her silver medal from last year –her eight medal at successive World Championships –and Canada’s Sarah Mitton, whose season best 20.08m, earned her a first medal on this stage.

The 30-year-old Thomas-Dodd, who copped silver in Doha in 2019, had a best mark of 19.59m on her third-round effort.

Following her strong recovery performance in qualifying, much was expected of Thomas-Dodd, but the manner in which the event started, indicated that she would require something special to medal.

Healy laid the marker with a season’s best first round effort of 20.35m. At that point, Thomas-Dodd was in third position with an opening throw of 19.38m, while the other American Maggie Ewen was second at 19.51m.

As the competition progressed, Mitton made a big move with a season’s best 19.90m on her third attempt to assume the silver medal position, with Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo joining the party with 19.63m and Thomas-Dodd improving to 19.59m.

However, when things got to the business end, it was the three medallists that produced when it matters most, as Ealy and Mitton, both launched the instruments to their new season’s best, while Gong left it late with her medal-winning mark.

Catch live action of the 2023 World Athletics Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.

A prayer before making their way into the stadium was the perfect way for the Jamaican quartet to start their bid in the women’s 4X400m relays and they will indeed challenge for a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

This, as they booked their spot in Sunday’s showpiece event, after finishing tops in their heat on Saturday.

Cherokee Young, running from lane eight, ran the lead leg for the Jamaicans handing off to Nickesha Pryce, who ran a well-paced leg to send Shiann Salmon on her way.

Salmon did well to maintain the gap for Stacey-Ann Williams, who only had to run steady and true to take the team home in a new world leading time 3:22.74.

They won ahead of Canada (3:23.29), with Netherlands (3:23.75) taking the third automatic qualifying spot.

Great Britain won the second heat in 3:23.33, ahead of the favourites United States, who were later disqualified via Technical Rule 24.7, as they passed the baton outside the takeover zone.

That meant Belgium (3:23.63) and Italy (3:23.86) got second and third respectively, while Poland (3:24.05) and Ireland (3:26.18) got the two fastest non-automatic qualifying spots.

The final will be the curtain-call event of the nine-day Championships at 2:47pm Jamaica time.

Catch live action of the 2023 World Athletics Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.

Jamaica secured a spot in the final of the men’s 4x400m relay on day eight of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday.

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 Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has congratulated the “exceptional, record-breaking” Shericka Jackson.

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.