Terrence Jones and Kion Benjamin both booked their spots in the semi-finals of the Men’s 100m at the 2023 NCAA Championships scheduled for June 7-10 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Texas.

The pair advanced from the quarterfinals held on day three of the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento on Friday.

Jones, the Bahamian Texas Tech junior, produced a time of 9.93, just .2 seconds slower than his personal best and national record-equaling 9.91 done earlier this season, to advance to the semis second-fastest from the West region. The 20-year-old also ran 20.21 to advance in the 200m.

Benjamin, the Trinidadian Minnesota Junior and reigning Big 10 100m champion, set a new personal best of 10.11 to advance. His countryman and Minnesota teammate, Carlon Hosten, ran 20.49 to advance in the 200m.

In the 400m, St. Lucian Kansas Junior Michael Joseph, advanced with 45.23

Jamaican Arkansas Junior Phillip Lemonious ran 13.45 to progress in the 110m hurdles. Joining him in Texas will be Bahamian Texas Tech freshman Antoine Andrews (13.74).

In the field, world leader and world junior record holder, Jaydon Hibbert, produced 16.81m to advance in the triple jump alongside teammates and countrymen Ryan Brown (16.25m) and Carey McLeod (15.88m).

Hibbert, still only 18, famously jumped an absurd 17.87m at the SEC Outdoor Championships on May 13, setting a new world lead, collegiate record and world under-20 record in the process.

Roje Stona (65.54m) and Ralford Mullings (61.74m), both of Arkansas, advanced in the discus. Stona also threw 19.89m to advance in the shot put.

On Wednesday, the Arkansas pair of Wayne Pinnock and Carey McLeod jumped 8.05m and 7.80m, respectively, to advance in the long jump. The Jamaican pair were the top two finishers at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

Meanwhile on the women’s side, their countrywoman, Texas sophomore Ackelia Smith, jumped 6.69m to lead all qualifiers. Nebraska’s Velecia Williams (6.37m) also advanced.

Smith is fresh off a personal best 7.08m, the furthest legal jump in the world this year, to win at the Big 12 Championships earlier in May.

At the Eastern Regionals in Jacksonville, Florida’s Jevaughn Powell (46.68), and North Carolina A&T’s Shemar Chambers (46.89) both made it through in the 400m.

In the sprint hurdles, Caymanian Tennessee senior Rasheem Brown ran 13.45 to advance alongside Jamaican Syracuse junior Jaheem Hayles (13.67).

Defending Jamaican national champion Navasky Anderson of Mississippi State (1:49.43) and Tarees Rhoden of Clemson (1:49.70) both made it through in the 800m.

Texas’s Ackelia Smith continued her excellent 2023 season with a personal best 7.08m for victory at the 2023 Big 12 Outdoor Championships at John Jacobs Field in Oklahoma on Saturday.

The 21-year-old had jumps of 6.74m and 6.61m in the first two rounds before jumping out to her massive new personal best and world leading jump in the third. She subsequently passed on her next three jumps.

Oklahoma’s Pippi Lotta Enok produced 6.65m for second while Kansas State’s Shalom Olotu jumped 6.41 for third.

On the track, St. Lucians had an excellent day. First, Kansas’s Michael Joseph ran a personal best 44.77 to advance fastest into the men’s 400m final. Texas’s Jonathan Jones also advanced to the final with 45.70.

Then, Texas’s 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Julien Alfred, produced 10.74, albeit with a 3.4m/s wind, to advance fastest to the women’s 100m final.

Texas also had the second and third fastest qualifiers to the women’s 100m final through Kevona Davis (10.93) and Ezinne Abba (10.93).

Bahamian Terrence Jones ran 10.35 to advance third fastest in the men’s equivalent.

The 100m hurdles saw Jamaican Texas Tech senior Demisha Roswell advance fastest with 12.92.

Roswell’s Bahamian Texas Tech teammate, Antoine Andrews, ran 13.57 to advance in the men’s 110m hurdles.

Shiann Salmon and Ackelia Smith won their respective events on Friday’s opening day of the Texas Invitational at the Mike A Myers Stadium in Austin Texas where Ashanti Moore ran a new personal best in the 200m.

Adidas professional Salmon, the 2022 NACAC champion, ran 55.83 to easily take the 400m hurdles over University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) junior Alana Yukich, who finished second in 57.74. Texas Longhorn junior Brooke Jaworski was third in 58.78.

Smith, meanwhile, soared out to a mark of 6.69 to win the long jump. Indiana senior Paola Fernandez-Sola finished second after jumping 6.42m with Samiyah Samuels taking third with a jump of 6.32m.

Gabby Thomas of New Balance won the Women’s 200m in a smart time of 22.21. Texas senior Lanae Thomas and Texas junior Rhasidat Adeleke were second and third in 22.38 and 22.47, respectively. Moore was a close fourth in a personal best 22.49.

Moore’s Adidas camp mates Anavia Battle and Lynna Irby-Jackson, were fifth and sixth respectively in 22.62 and 22.69.

Barbados’ Johnathan Jones finished third in the Men’s 200m in 21.48. UTSA’s Dennis Phillips won the half-lap sprint in 20.82 with his teammate Logan Masters taking the runner-up spot in 21.20.

The meet concludes on Saturday.

For many years, Jamaica has been known in the track and field world mostly producing historically great sprinters.

Recently, however, the country has seen its success at the global level spread to many other disciplines in the sport such as the jumps and the throws.

President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), Garth Gayle, is encouraged by this trend and hopes to see it continue.

“This all came about under the leadership of the late Howard Aris,” Gayle told SportsMax.TV at the launch of the Racers Grand Prix at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday.

“I was the honorary secretary at the time and I remember several of our executive meetings where he made it clear to all of us, in such simple terms, that there will come the day when other countries will challenge us successfully in the sprints,” Gayle said.

“He went on to say that sprinting is a base for many other disciplines in track and field and that we need to start to venture and provide training grounds for coaches and competitions for the athletes in the different disciplines. That is why we have seen the improvement in the throws and in the jumps. I believe it has done us well,” Gayle added.

Over a short period of time, Jamaica has seen the emergence of the likes of Tajay Gayle, Shanieka Ricketts and, more recently, Jaydon Hibbert among others in the jumps as well as names like Fedrick Dacres and Danniel Thomas-Dodd in the throws.

Gayle became Jamaica’s first ever long jump World Champion when he jumped a National Record 8.69m, the 20^th longest jump in history, to win gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

Ricketts is a two-time World Championship silver medallist in the triple jump from Doha in 2019 and Eugene in 2022.

Jaydon Hibbert, who is only 18, won triple jump gold at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali in 2022 and, earlier this season, set a World Junior Record 17.54m to win at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque.

We also saw the likes of Carey McLeod and Ackelia Smith win long jump medals at those same NCAA Indoor Championships.

Lamara Distin is undefeated this season in the high jump and broke her own National record earlier this season while, at last year’s World Under-20 Championships, another Jamaican, Brandon Pottinger, took home high jump gold.

In the throws, Dacres and Thomas-Dodd won silver medals in the discus and shot put, respectively, at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

Gayle also outlined that clubs around the country have systems in place to ensure this trend continues.

“Our club systems are growing stronger and they too are of that similar mindset and we are seeing the benefits. GC Foster College must never be left out of the equation because they, in a similar way, are speaking that language.”

“We must continue to raise the bar. Jamaica has, without doubt, an abundance of sporting talent. We just need to continue to harness it and develop it,” he added.

O’Brien Wasome and Ackelia Smith won their respective field events at the Texas Relays this past weekend where Ashanti Moore was on the podium in both 100m and 200m sprints.

Aided by a trailing wind of 3.1m/s, Wasome, a former Texas Longhorn, leapt out to a distance of 17.00m to win the triple jump over Chris Carter (16.61m) and Ohio State’s Clarence Foote-Talley (16.58).

Virginia State’s Owayne Evans finished fourth with his effort of 16.53m.

Meanwhile, Smith, a current Longhorn, won the long jump with a leap of 6.57m.

Synclair Savage finished in second place with 6.53m while Anthaya Charlton took the final podium spot having leapt out to 6.52m.

Moore was second in the 100m and third in the 200m, races won by Olympic bronze medallist Gabby Thomas.

Thomas stormed to victory in the 100m in 11.07s leaving in her wake Moore, who clocked 11.23 and Lynna Irby-Jackson 11.31.

Irby-Jackson and Moore switched places in the half-lap sprint that Thomas won in 22.49. Irby-Jackson ran 22.71 for the runner-up spot with Moore not far behind in 22.79.

Bahamian javelin throw sensation Keyshawn Strachan broke his own national record to win gold at the 2023 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at the Michael A. Myers Stadium in Texas on Friday.

The 19-year-old Auburn freshman threw an NCAA and world leading 84.27m to win the event ahead of Baylor sophomore Chinecheren Prosper Nnamdi (79.98m) and Tracksmith’s Curtis Thompson (79.29m).

Strachan’s effort broke his own previous national record 79.89m which he set to win the Under-20 title at the CARIFTA Games in Kingston last year.

The Bahamian’s mark is also an Auburn school record, freshman record and the fourth furthest throw in NCAA history.

Elsewhere in the field, Jamaican Texas sophomore Ackelia Smith jumped 13.84m to take the Women’s triple jump ahead of Georgia’s Mikeisha Welcome (13.63m) and Titana Marsh (13.61m).

Jamaican Arkansas senior Carey McLeod is the NCAA Indoor men’s long jump champion after equaling James Beckford’s national indoor record in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday.

McLeod produced a personal best, collegiate leading and facility record 8.40m to win the title ahead of Mississippi State senior Cameron Crump (8.39m) and Florida State junior Jeremiah Davis (8.37m).

McLeod’s Arkansas teammate Wayne Pinnock also achieved a personal best, jumping 8.33m for fourth.

The 24-year-old McLeod produced a consistent series, jumping 8.03m, 8.22m, 7.80m, 8.04m and 7.95m in the first five rounds.

Entering the sixth and final round, the former Kingston College man found himself in fourth place before producing his national record-equalling 8.40m in round six for victory. James Beckford did 8.40 in Madrid in 1996.

On the women’s side, Texas freshman Ackelia Smith produced a personal best 6.88m for second while Florida junior Claire Bryant produced the same distance for third.

The event was won by Bryant’s Florida teammate, Jasmine Moore, with 7.03m. Her jump is a personal best, collegiate record, facility record, world lead and meet record.

It is public knowledge that Jamaica's prowess in the field events has become known on the global stage and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) salutes our champions in the field who are toiling diligently and valiantly in making fertile the soil in sport. 

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games is witnessing the continued growth and development of the field sports which augurs very well for the future. 

JOA President, Christopher Samuda, in acknowledging the advancement of the field sports stated: "Shanieka Ricketts' admirable performance in accomplishing that gold in the triple jump - her first major title - and in so doing writing her name indelibly in the history book of the Commonwealth Games demonstrates that our footprints go deep and are well established in the sand."  

Travis Smikle, a seasoned campaigner, hurled the discus in Birmingham in securing the bronze medal in the men's event which is well decorated with Fedrick Dacres, our national record holder and former Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipient, and Chad Wright. O'Dayne Richards, a JOA Scholarship awardee who placed sixth in the finals of the men's shot put in Birmingham, is an experienced soldier with gold medals in his cabinet. 

"We are proud of our women and men in the field events who continue to be an inspiration to generations of youth who aspire to emulate them and who the JOA salute with the greatest of respect" JOA Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, said with evident pride. 

The golden leap of Lamara Distin in the women's high jump and the bronze achievement of Kimberly Williamson in that event are crowning moments for independence. "At a time when we are celebrating independence it is uplifting to know that landmark achievements in various sports are being established as we, in the JOA, pursue our mandate 'sport for all, all for sport" Foster said. 

Kimberly Williams, a celebrated medalist, and a Ackelia Smith, who leapt to a personal best at the games, both represented our nation well in the finals of the triple jump and "exemplify the character and mettle of our national ambassadors who are establishing milestones and creating legacies in sport" Samuda remarked.

Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper, 2015 World champion Danielle Williams and 2022 World Indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton all advanced to the final of the Women’s 100m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Friday.

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.

2020 Olympic Champion Hansle Parchment ran 13.17 to advance to the semi-finals of the 110m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene on Saturday.

Parchment’s time was second fastest in qualifying behind American defending World Champion Grant Holloway’s 13.14.

Also advancing to the semi-finals were Jamaicans Rasheed Broadbell (13.36) and Orlando Bennett (13.55) as well as Barbados’ Shane Brathwaite (13.47).

The Men’s 400m hurdles saw four Caribbean athletes progress to the semi-finals.

Jamaica’s Kemar Mowatt ran 49.44 to finish second in his heat behind Olympic bronze medallist and 2022 world leader Alison Dos Santos of Brazil (49.41).

Mowatt’s Jamaican teammate Jaheel Hyde finished third in his heat in 50.03 behind Norewgian Olympic Champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm (49.34) and Belgium’s Julien Watrin (49.83).

Jamaica's Shawn Rowe finished sixth in heat four but his time of 49.51 was good enough to see him advance.

Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands also advanced safely after a 49.98 effort for fourth in his heat behind the USA’s Khalifah Rosser (48.62), Ramsey Angela of the Netherlands (49.62) and Sweden’s Carl Bengstrom (49.64). American Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin ran 49.06 to in his heat and also safely advance.

In the field, Shanieka Ricketts, Kimberley Williams and Ackelia Smith all advanced to the final of the Women’s triple jump.

Ricketts jumped 14.45m to advance with the fifth furthest jump in qualifying while Smith was eighth furthest with a personal best 14.36m. Williams was the 12^th furthest jumper in qualifying with 14.27m.

Ana Lucia Jose Tima of the Dominican Republic had the third farthest jump in qualifying with a new national record 14.52m while Dominica’s Thea Lafond (14.39m) and Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez (14.30m) will also be in Monday’s final. Venezuelan world record holder Yulimar Rojas led all qualifiers with 14.73m.

Jamaicans Lamara Distin and Kimberly Williamson both jumped 1.90m to advance to the final of the Women’s high jump.