Noah Lyles, the reigning world champion, secured his place at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a stunning victory in the 100m dash at the USA National Championships on Sunday. Clocking in at a blistering 9.83 seconds (0.4), Lyles dominated the field at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, demonstrating his readiness to chase Olympic gold.

Lyles only previous Olympic medal was a 200m bronze from Tokyo, but he heads to Paris bolstered by his remarkable achievements at the World Championships in Budapest last year, where he won gold in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay.

Lyles was followed by Kenny Bednarek, primarily known for his prowess in the 200m, who finished with a personal best of 9.87 seconds. The 2022 world champion, Fred Kerley, took third place with a time of 9.88 seconds. Just missing out on the Olympic team, world indoor champion and 2019 world 100m gold medallist Christian Coleman finished fourth, clocking 9.93 seconds.

The day was also marked by an extraordinary performance from 16-year-old Quincy Wilson. In the 400m semi-finals, Wilson shattered his own under-18 world record, lowering it from 44.66 seconds to an impressive 44.59 seconds, demonstrating his prodigious talent and setting the stage for an exciting future in athletics.

In the women’s 400m, Kendall Ellis emerged victorious with a time of 49.46 seconds, followed closely by Aaliyah Butler (49.71) and Alexis Holmes (49.78), both of whom secured their places on the Olympic team.

Two-time World Championship bronze medalist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sada Williams headlines a star-studded list of Barbados’s top athletes set to compete at their National Track and Field Championships from June 21-23.

Williams, who trains at the MVP Track Club in Jamaica under the tutelage of Stephen Francis, is her country’s biggest medal hopeful for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games having already qualified.

The 26-year-old will contest the women’s 400m event at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex in Bridgetown.

The Bajan national record holder has, so far, had a sub-par 2024 season by her lofty standards, failing to dip below 50 seconds in all five of her 400m races.

Her season’s best 50.71 came at the Oslo Diamond League on May 30.

Williams created history at 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon by winning 400m bronze in a then-personal best and national record 49.75 seconds.

Later that year, Williams became the first woman to run under 50 seconds at the Commonwealth Games with 49.90 to capture gold. She closed out 2022 with a third-place finish at the Diamond League Final in Zurich in 49.98.

She followed up that fantastic season with another bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

Williams produced a personal best and national record 49.58 in the semi-finals before returning to run slightly slower in the final, 49.60, to claim consecutive bronze medals.

Also confirmed for the Barbados nationals are Olympians Mario Burke and Tristan Evelyn who are expected to contest the men’s and women’s 100m events respectively.

Burke, 27, has a personal best of 9.98 done back in 2019 and was an Olympian in Tokyo in 2021. In 2016, he took home 100m bronze at the World Junior Championships in Poland in 10.26. He has a season's best of 10.22 done at the Last Chance Sprint Series on June 7 in Sherman Oakes, California.

Hurdlers Tia-Adana Belle and Rasheeme Griffith are also among the big names, along with quarter miler Desean Boyce and former CARIFTA sprinters Julian Forde and Kishawna Niles.

Griffith, a senior at the University on Tennessee, established a new 400m hurdles national record of 48.79 in the heats at the SEC Championships on May 9.

CARIFTA Games gold medalist Layla Haynes and Hannah Connell as well as national javelin record holder Kayla Thorpe are also set to compete.

Louisiana State University (LSU) sophomore Brianna Lyston has decided to shut down her 2024 season meaning she will not compete at the Jamaican National Championships from June 27-30 at the National Stadium in Kingston.

The 20-year-old announced her decision in an Instagram post on Sunday after competing at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

“Thank you 2024, Breezy signing out,” she said.

This marks the end to an excellent second collegiate season for the former St. Jago and Hydel High standout.

Lyston enjoyed a perfect indoor season, going unbeaten in eight 60m races from January 27-March 9.

That included titles at both the SEC Indoor Championships as well as the NCAA Indoor Championships as well, establishing a personal best 7.03 at the latter.

Her season then moved outdoors where, in her first two 100m races of the season on March 30 and April 20, she produced wind-aided times of 10.87 and 10.84 at the Battle on the Bayou and the LSU Alumni Gold, respectively.

A month later at the SEC Championships, Lyston ran a personal best 10.91 to win the 100m title and 22.37 to finish fourth in the 200m.

Lyston secured 100m silver at the recently concluded NCAA Championships with a wind-aided 10.89 but she failed to advance to the final of the 200m after running 22.76 to finish fifth in her semi-final.

She also ran the opening leg on LSU’s silver medal-winning 4x100m quartet.

Lorraine Fenton’s 22-year-old Jamaican 400m record is no more as Arkansas senior Nickisha Pryce produced an excellent display to establish a new mark in a winning effort at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.

Pryce produced a time of 48.89 to win gold and smash Fenton’s previous mark of 49.30 set back in 2002.

The 23-year-old’s time is also a collegiate record, erasing Britton Wilson’s 49.13 done in 2023.

Arkansas occupied the first four spots in Saturday’s final through Kaylyn Brown (49.13), Amber Anning (49.59) and Rosey Effiong (49.72).

In the Women’s 100m, LSU’s Brianna Lyston produced 10.89 (2.2 m/s) for second behind Ole Miss senior McKenzie Long who won in 10.82. Texas Tech senior Rosemary Chukwuma was third in 10.90.

Jamaicans Tarees Rhoden and Kimar Farquharson both advanced to the final of the men’s 800m on day one of the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Oregon on Wednesday.

Rhoden, a senior at Clemson, and Farquharson, a junior at Texas A&M, were both in the second of three semi-finals.

In the heat won by Farquharson’s teammate and current NCAA leader Sam Whitmarsh in 1:46.01, Rhoden ran 1:46.18 to be the second automatic qualifier for the final while Farquharson was third in 1:46.32 to advance as the fastest non-automatic qualifier.

Bahamian Florida junior Wanya McCoy ran 10.15 and 20.22 to advance to the finals of both the 100m and 200m.

Jamaican Florida senior Jevaughn Powell (45.17) and junior Reheem Hayles (45.59) both advanced to the final of the one lap event.

All those finals are set for Friday.

Elsewhere, in a massive upset, World Championship long jump silver medallist Wayne Pinnock’s best jump of 7.98m was only good enough for fifth in the men’s long jump.

USC sophomore JC Stevenson produced a personal best 8.22m to win ahead of Florida State senior Jeremiah Davis (8.07m) and Florida junior Malcolm Clemons (8.05m).

Clemson junior Courtney Lawrence threw a personal best 19.92m for fifth in the men’s shot put won by Ole Miss sophomore Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan in a personal best and collegiate-leading 20.88m.

Wisconsin’s Jason Swarens (20.38m) and South Carolina’s Dylan Taggart (20.23m) were second and third.

Bahamian national record holder and Auburn sophomore Keyshawn Strachan threw 74.95m for fifth in the men’s javelin.

Georgia’s Marc Minichello threw 80.70m to win ahead of Washington’s Chandler Ault (79.31m) and Miami’s Devoux Deysel (75.14m).

Oblique Seville and Julien Alfred produced a pair of scintillating performances to claim the 100m titles at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.

Seville produced a personal best and world leading 9.82 to claim the men’s race ahead of American World champion Noah Lyles and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.

Lyles’s time in second was a season’s best 9.85 while Omanyala ran 10.02 in third.

“I came out here in front of my Jamaican fans looking for a personal best and to get it today means a lot to me,” Seville said after the race.

“I just came out here to deliver. You’re always going to have ups and downs with the wind but you just have to run through it,” he added.

“As long as I’m healthy, expect good things,” was Seville’s response when asked about what fans can expect from him at Jamaica’s Olympic trials set for June 27-30.

In the women’s equivalent, St. Lucian World Indoor champion Julien Alfred sped to a personal best and meet record 10.78 to win ahead of Krystal Sloley who broke 11 seconds for the first time with 10.99 in second and Shashalee Forbes who ran a season’s best 11.05 in third.

Alfred says she didn’t expect to run that fast.

“I wanted to come out here and just work on execution. I didn’t expect that time and that’s why I was smiling so much,” she said.

Bahamian Olympic champion Steven Gardiner produced his best run of the season to hold off a fast finishing Alexander Doom and take top spot in the 400m at the 63^rd Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Gardiner’s time of 44.39 was just ahead of the Belgian’s personal best 44.44 in second. Reigning Jamaican national champion Sean Bailey was third in a season’s best 44.93.

Jamaican 2023 World Championship finalists Ryiem Forde and Andrew Hudson finished second in the 100m and 200m, respectively.

Forde’s time in second was 10.17 while Hudson ran 20.56. Both races were won by Canadian Olympic champion Andre De Grasse. He ran 10.10 in the 100m before returning to the track to run a season’s best 20.09 in the 200m.

Olympic champion Lamont Jacobs ran 10.19 for third in the 100m while Great Britain's Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran 20.63 for third in the 200m.

In the field, two-time World champion Anderson Peters was third in the javelin.

The Grenadian battled windy conditions to produce a best throw of 78.60m, far behind Germany’s Julian Weber and the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch who produced 87.26m and 86.06m for first and second, respectively.

Bahamian Steven Gardiner is among three individual men’s Olympic sprint champions set to compete at the Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday.

Italy’s Marcell Jacobs and Canada’s Andre De Grasse, the Olympic gold medallists over 100m and 200m respectively, will clash over the shorter distance, then De Grasse will double up by contesting his specialist event.

Gardiner, meanwhile, will take on world indoor champion Alexander Doom over one lap of the track.

The Bahamian, who has a season’s best of 44.45, could be pushed by the Belgian, who won in Marrakesh last week with a lifetime best of 44.51.

Not including the few races where he has pulled up injured, Gardiner has been undefeated over 400m since the 2017 World Championships.

Elsewhere, Jacobs has had just two individual outings this year, the latest being a 10.07 season’s best to win in Rome last weekend.

That makes the Italian the fastest of the Ostrava field this year on season’s bests, though he’s also one of four men in the line-up with a sub-10-second PB.

De Grasse, meanwhile, has a best this year of 10.11 and recently finished second at the Diamond League meeting in Marrakesh.

Britain’s Reece Prescod, who set his PB of 9.93 in Ostrava when winning in the Czech city two years ago, will be one to watch, as will Jamaica’s Ryiem Forde.

Later in the evening, De Grasse will take on Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson and Britain's Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake in the 200m.

In the men’s javelin, home favourite Jakub Vadlejch will take on European champion Julian Weber and two-time world champion Anderson Peters.

Four-time global medallist Vadlejch recently won in Doha with 88.38m, which puts him just one centimeter ahead of Weber on this year’s world list. Peters is close behind with a best of 86.62m.

Two-time Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah had a far from ideal start to her 2024 season at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.

The 31-year-old lined up in the 100m at the fifth meet on this season’s Diamond League calendar and had a race to forget, running 11.30 for a ninth-place finish as hometown hero Sha’Carri Richardson sped away to a season’s best 10.83 for victory.

“Definitely not what I expected today but grateful,” Thompson-Herah said after the race on Instagram.

“Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” she added.

Thompson-Herah, who is now being coached by Reynaldo Walcott at Elite Performance Track Club, is looking to rediscover the form that led her to Olympic glory in 2016 and 2021.

She endured an injury-riddled 2023 season that saw her fail to make the team for any individual event at the World Championships in Budapest. She did leave those championships with a silver medal, however, as part of the 4x100m quartet.

Thompson-Herah had much better returns in the second half of the 2023 season.

She ran times of 10.92 and 10.84 on September 4 and 8 to win at the Gala dei Castelli and the Brussels Diamond League, respectively, before closing out her season with 10.79 for third at the Prefontaine Classic on September 16.

The anticipation for the 2024 Racers Grand Prix is reaching new heights as a stellar lineup of women athletes prepares to grace the track on Saturday, June 1, at the National Stadium. 

Since its inception in 2016, the Racers Grand Prix has become a cornerstone of the local track and field calendar, achieving World Athletics Continental Tour Silver status and attracting top-tier talent from around the globe. 

In the highly anticipated Women's 100m event, all eyes will be on the dynamic showdown between Julien Alfred and Alana Reid. Alfred, known for her explosive speed and technical prowess, is set to challenge the competition with her relentless drive for victory. Meanwhile, Reid brings a wealth of experience and determination, making her a formidable contender on the track. Reid is the Jamaican junior record holder for the women's 100m. 

Sports analyst and lead commentator of the Racers Grand Prix, Ricardo Chambers, when asked about predictions for the women's 100m said,

“This should be an interesting race. Julien Alfred hasn't competed since she finished 4th in 11.15 (+3.5) at the Texas Invitational on April 27. One of the women who beat her that day is the USA's Celera Barnes who is in this field. Alana Reid has been competing a lot. She's already run 8 100-metre races this year but has dipped under 11.20 only once. This is the time of year you expect especially the US and Jamaican athletes to start tapering for their trials, so I expect to see a much truer reflection of the form these athletes are in. Given how things have gone this season, there's no clear favourite and so the intrigue sets up a real fine race.” 

Shifting the focus to the Women's 100m Hurdles, fans can expect an exhilarating clash between Megan Tapper, Ackera Nugent, and Devynne Charlton. Tapper's agility and precision over the hurdles have earned her accolades on the international stage, while Nugent's emerging talent and raw speed make her a rising star to watch. Charlton, with her seasoned experience and strategic approach, adds depth to the competitive field, setting the stage for an unforgettable race. 

Commenting on the lineup of women athletes, Devon Blake, CEO of Racers Grand Prix, stated, "The women's events at this year's Racers Grand Prix exemplify the strength, talent, and dedication of female athletes in track and field. We are proud to showcase their exceptional skills and fierce competitiveness, contributing to the event's status as a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet." 

The Women's events at the Racers Grand Prix promise to deliver thrilling moments of athleticism, determination, and sportsmanship, highlighting the diversity and excellence of women's track and field. The action-packed matchups hit the track on June 1 as these remarkable athletes take center stage and inspire fans worldwide. 

The success of the Racers Grand Prix is made possible by the generous support of its esteemed sponsors. Leading the pack is Adidas, a longstanding partner whose commitment to excellence aligns perfectly with the event's ethos. The Sports Development Foundation's continuous partnership has been instrumental in elevating the meet to new heights year after year. KFC, Gatorade, JN Bank, Digicel, and Airport Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) bring their unique expertise and resources to enhance the spectator experience and showcase Jamaica's vibrant sporting culture on a global stage.

World Championship silver medallist Wayne Pinnock has officially booked his spot in the field for next month’s NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.

The 23-year-old Arkansas junior, who won gold at the 2022 NCAA Championships, produced 8.03m at the NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville on Wednesday to advance with the day’s second furthest jump behind USC’s Johnny Brackins who jumped a personal best 8.15m to advance.

Another Jamaican, Oklahoma junior Nikaoli Williams, produced a personal best 7.99 to book his spot in the 24-man field set to compete from June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Oregon.

Arizona State junior Brandon Lloyd threw 19.26m to secure qualification in the men’s shot put.

On the track, a number of Caribbean men booked spots in Friday’s quarterfinal round to determine who will make the trip to Oregon.

Trinidadian Minnesota junior Devin Augustine (10.28), Jamaican USC junior Travis Williams (10.30) and Jamaican Baylor sophomore Riquan Graham (10.32) all made it through to the quarterfinals of the men’s 100m.

Augustine also ran 20.66 to advance in the 200m.

The top 12 fastest men from Friday’s quarterfinals will advance to the NCAA Championships.

In the 400m, Jamaican Texas Tech sophomore Shaemar Uter (45.68), Jamaican Baylor senior Demar Francis (45.75) and Grenadian Arizona State senior Gamali Felix (45.90) advanced to the quarterfinals.

A pair of Jamaicans, Texas A&M junior Kimar Farquharson and Iowa junior Rivaldo Marshall, ran 1:47.72 and 1:48.31, respectively, to advance to the quarterfinals of the 800m.

Jamaican Arkansas senior Phillip Lemonious and UTEP junior Jordani Woodley advanced in the 110m hurdles with times of 13.38 and 13.41, respectively.

Lemonious is the defending NCAA champion.

The 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships is set for June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Bahamian Auburn University Tigers sophomore Keyshawn Strachan produced a best throw of 74.63m in the men’s javelin competition of the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round competition at the University of Kentucky Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Kentucky, on Wednesday.

With the throw, the CARIFTA Under-20 record holder advanced to the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the first time.

The 20-year-old finished third in the Wednesday’s competition, with all three of his throws (70.54m, 71.37m, 74.63m) surpassing 70m.

His personal best and Bahamian national record 84.27m was done at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in 2023 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Wanya McCoy, a junior for the University of Florida Gators, moved on to the quarterfinals of the men’s 100 and 200m, winning his heats in 10.29 seconds and 20.34 seconds respectively.

He finished tied with the sixth fastest time going into the quarters in both events, and will have to finish among the top 12 to move on to the NCAA Championships.

McCoy was a runner-up in both the 100m and 200m at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Gainesville earlier this month.

Also advancing in the 100m were Caymanian two-time Carifta U-20 gold medallist Davonte Howell of Tennessee (10.35), Jamaica’s Jehlani Gordon of Georgia (10.41) and T&T’s Omari Lewis on Liberty (10.39).

Jamaican Florida State Seminoles sophomore Jordan Turner also advanced to the NCAA Championships after jumping 7.74m to finish fourth in the men’s long jump.

American Championship Conference (ACC) outdoor shot-put champion Courtney Lawrence of Clemson also booked his spot at the NCAA Championships with a throw of 19.61m to finish sixth.

Jamaican LSU sophomore, Jahiem Stern, ran 13.38 to lead all qualifiers to the quarterfinals in the men’s sprint hurdles set for Friday.

Clemson senior and ACC Outdoor champion Tarees Rhoden made it through to the quarterfinals in the men’s 800m with 1:47.89 to win his preliminary.

Jamaica’s Jevaughn Powell of Florida (45.85), D’Andre Anderson of Clemson (45.87), Reheem Hayles of Florida (45.99) made it through to the quarters in the men’s 400m.

The men’s 400m hurdles saw Bajan Tennessee senior Rasheeme Griffith (50.40) and Jamaican South Florida sophomore Devontie Archer (51.13) make progress.

The 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships is set for June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

 Double Olympic silver medalist Yohan Blake demonstrated that he is far from finished at the 2024 Raiffeisen Austrian Open in Eisenstadt, Austria, on Wednesday, clocking a season-best 10.16 seconds in the 100m heats. However, the final did not go as planned for the Jamaican sprint star, as he was disqualified for a false start, negating his third-place finish time of 10.26 seconds.

The 34-year-old Blake's performance in the heats was a testament to his experience and competitive edge, as he comfortably advanced to the final with the fastest qualifying time. This season-best effort underscored Blake's determination to remain a formidable force in sprinting, even as he continues to navigate the later stages of his illustrious career.

In the final, Blake crossed the finish line third with a time of 10.26 seconds. However, his results were invalidated due to a false start that led to his disqualification. The disqualification came as a significant disappointment, especially after his promising performance in the heats.

Fellow Jamaican sprinter Christania Williams also impressed at the meet. Williams, who is based in Austria and trained by Coach Phillip Unfried, ran a strong race in the women's 100m, clocking an impressive 11.33 seconds. Her performance highlights her consistent progress and potential as she continues to train and compete in Europe.

The Raiffeisen Austrian Open served as a crucial platform for athletes like Blake and Williams to gauge their form and readiness as they prepare for upcoming national champions in just over a month’s time. Despite the setback in the final, Blake's season-best time in the heats remains a positive takeaway, indicating his capacity to compete at high levels.

For Williams, the meet was an opportunity to showcase her talent and the results of her training under Coach Unfried's guidance. Her time of 11.33 seconds is a solid mark as she aims to continue improving and achieving new personal bests.

2022 World 100m champion Fred Kerley has his sights set on Usain Bolt’s 15-year-old 100m World Record.

In fact, the 29-year-old says that the next time he does the event, he will become the fastest man ever.

“World record next time I touch the 100m,” Kerley said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Usain Bolt’s mark stands at an incredible 9.58 done to win his maiden World Championship gold medal at the Berlin World Championships on August 16, 2009.

Bolt is the only man to ever run faster than 9.60 with Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake the only other men to run sub 9.70.

Gay and Blake both have a personal best of 9.69 to be joint-second on the all-time list.

Kerley, one of the only athletes ever to go sub-10 in the 100m, sub-20 in the 200m and sub-44 in the 400m, has a personal best of 9.76 done at the World Championships in 2022 in Eugene where he went on to claim 100m gold.

His time puts him in a three-way tie for sixth all-time alongside countrymen Christian Coleman and Trayvon Bromell.

Asafa Powell (9.72), Justin Gatlin (9.74) and Ferdinand Omanyala (9.77) make up the top ten.

This season, Kerley has competed four times in the 100m. He opened his season with a win at the Hurricane Invitational on March 16 in Coral Gables, Florida with 10.03 and followed that up at the same venue on April 6 in the Hurricane Alumni Invitational with 10.11 to also come out on top.

Kerley then competed at the season’s first two Diamond League events in Xiamen and Suzhou on April 20 and 27, respectively. He first ran 10.17 to finish second in Xiamen before running 10.11 for third in Suzhou.

He most recently competed at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational on May 11 where he ran 20.17 to finish second in the men’s 200m.

Brianna Lyston secured a chance at the sprint double at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Gainesville, Florida after booking her spot in the final of the women’s 100m.

The LSU sophomore, who ran 22.31 on Thursday to secure her spot in the 200m final, came back a day later to run 11.09 to be the joint-fastest qualifier for Saturday’s final alongside collegiate leader Jacious Sears of Tennessee.

Bahamian Florida junior Wanya McCoy and Jamaican Georgia freshman Jehlani Gordon advanced to the men’s 100m final as the second and ninth fastest qualifiers with 10.09 and 10.17, respectively.

The women’s 400m prelims saw Arkansas senior Nickisha Pryce become the eighth-fastest Jamaican ever in the event.

Pryce, who is Jamaica’s reigning national champion, ran a personal best and collegiate leading 49.72 to advance to the final as the fastest qualifier ahead of teammate Kaylyn Brown who ran 49.86.

LSU sophomore Jahiem Stern produced 13.45 to advance to the final of the 110m hurdles.

In the field, the Jamaican Arkansas pair of Romaine Beckford and Wayne Pinnock won gold in the high jump and long jump, respectively.

Beckford had a best clearance of 2.22m to win ahead of LSU’s Kuda Chadenga (2.19m) and Ole Miss’s Arvesta Troupe (2.14m).

Pinnock, a sliver medalist at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, jumped 8.09m to successfully defend his SEC title.

Georgia’s Micah Larry produced 7.80m for second while Florida’s Caleb Foster was third with the same distance.