St. Lucian Texas Sophomore, Julien Alfred, delivered on the promise she’s shown all season to win the Women’s 100m on Saturday’s final day of the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Alfred, who ran 10.90 to win her semi-final on Thursday, sped to 11.02 to finish ahead of Jamaican Oregon senior Kemba Nelson who ran the same time, and Kentucky’s Abby Steiner (11.08).

Jamaican record holder Lamara Distin of Texas A&M produced a clearance of 1.95m to win the high jump over Abigail Kwarteng of Middle Tennessee State (1.94m) and South Carolina’s Rachel Glenn (1.86m).

Jamaican Texas A&M Sophomore and former Hydel standout Charokee Young ran 50.65 for second in the 400m behind Florida’s Talitha Diggs who ran a personal best 49.99 for victory. Texas’ Kennedy Simon was third in 50.69.

Texas duo Julien Alfred and Kevona Davis as well as Syracuse’s Joella Lloyd and Oregon’s Kemba Nelson will all be present in Saturday’s 100m final, at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships, after advancing from the semi-finals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Thursday.

Alfred, the St. Lucian national record holder in the event, won her semi-final in 10.90 to be the joint-fastest qualifier to the final. Nelson also dipped below 11 seconds, running 10.97 to win her semi-final.

Jamaica’s Davis finished third in her semi-final with a time of 11.11 to advance while the Antiguan Lloyd finished second in her semi with 11.08. Davis and Lloyd also advanced in the 200m with times of 22.38 and 22.66, respectively.

The Jamaican pair of Stacey Ann Williams of Texas and Charokee Young of Texas A&M will both be in the 400m final. Williams ran 50.18 to finish second in her semi-final while Young won hers in a time of 50.46.

Texas Tech’s Jamaican junior Demisha Roswell ran 12.93 to finish second in her semi-final of the 100m hurdles and progress.

Texas senior and Trinidad and Tobago Olympian Tyra Gittens jumped 6.57m for third in the long jump behind Florida’s Jasmine Moore (6.72m) and Texas A&M’s Deborah Acquah (6.60m).

Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson ran a season’s best and meet record 21.91 to win the Women’s 200m at the Rome Diamond League at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.

The former Vere Technical star, who also has 400m bronze medals from the 2016 Olympics, 2015, and 2019 World Championships, finished ahead of double Olympic Champion Elaine Thompson-Herah who ran a season’s best of her own with 22.25. 2019 World 200m Champion Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain also ran a season’s best of 22.27 to finish third.

Puerto Rican Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn maintained the stellar form she's shown so far this season by running a meet record and new world-leading 12.37 to win the Women’s 100m hurdles. Jamaican Britany Anderson was right there with Camacho-Quinn up until clipping the final hurdle and stumbling over the line to run 12.50 for second while American 2019 World Champion Nia Ali was third in 12.71.

Grenadian 2011 World and 2012 Olympic 400m Champion Kirani James was also in winning form, running 44.54 to prevail in the Men’s 400m ahead of the USA’s Vernon Norwood (44.81) and Michael Cherry (45.24).

Olympic and World Championship finalist Janieve Russell ran 54.18 for second in the Women’s 400m hurdles behind Dutch Olympic bronze medallist Femke Bol’s season’s best 53.02. Ukraine’s Anna Ryzhykova was third in 54.50.

Jamaica double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah remains convinced the correct call was made regarding the decision to change coaching camps last year.

Following the most successful year of her career, the 29-year-old made the controversial decision to part ways with the Steven Francis-led MVP track club, one of the most high-profile in international track and field.

Instead, the sprinter now trains with her husband, Derron Herah, and ahead of another big year in track and field is feeling comfortable.

“I think the change matches my aspirations and what I want this year,” Thompson-Herah told members of the media on Wednesday, ahead of the Rome Diamond League meet.

“I am definitely getting the love and support that I want for what I am working on.  Sometimes I think a change is good.  I am grown and I know what is best for my career and I’m sure I’ve chosen the right path.”

Heading into Thursday’s Diamond League showdown, over 200ms, the sprinter has won all of her races so far this season.

Tennessee freshman Wayne Pinnock added to his trophy cabinet by securing the Men’s long jump title as the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships got underway on Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

The former Kingston College standout jumped out to 8.00m to secure victory ahead of Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis, who also achieved 8.00m, a new personal best, while his Florida State teammate Isaac Grimes was third in 7.97.

Pinnock has now completed the NCAA double having won the indoor title in Alabama, in March, with a 7.92m effort.

The Caribbean will be well represented in the final of the Men’s 400m through Barbadian Olympian and Texas athlete Jonathan Jones and Jamaican UTEP and former Edwin Allen and Kingston College quarter miler Jevaughn Powell.

Jones ran a comfortable 44.97 to win his semi-final while Powell advanced after finishing third in his semi-final with 45.47.

Jamaican Mississippi State junior Navasky Anderson will contest the Men’s 800m final after running 1:45.94 to win his semi-final.

Barbadian New Mexico senior Rivaldo Leacock advanced in the Men’s 400m hurdles with a 49.86 clocking.

Jamaicans Jaheem Hayles of Syracuse and Lafranz Campbell of Clemson both advanced in the Men’s sprint hurdles with times of 13.44 and 13.48, respectively.

Trinidadian Olympian Eric Harrison of Ohio State ran 20.18 to win his 200m semi-final.

The Men’s finals will take place on Friday, June 10^th while the Women’s section gets underway on Thursday, with the finals coming on Saturday.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah admits she is yet to find her best form after being hampered by some early-season injury setbacks.

The Jamaican sprinter is set to face her most formidable challenge to date this term, at Thursday’s Diamond League meet in Rome. Thompson-Herah will face a quality field that includes 400m Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, 200m World champion Dina Asher-Smith and compatriot Shericka Jackson over 200m.

In nine races so far this season, over both the 100 and the 200m, Thompson-Herah is yet to taste defeat.  She will be first to admit, however,  that it has been far from smooth sailing.

“I’m not 100 percent but I think I am a true fighter. I opened my season at Mt. SAC and I got a rotator (cuff) injury so I was in and out of practice.  You need your arms to run and every time I race I have discomfort in it, but I have to race, I have to see where I am at,” Thompson-Herah said at the pre-meet press conference on Wednesday.

“I think having (to compete) with an Achilles and shoulder injury you are a true fighter.  I know most athletes have something that they're going through they just don’t talk about it.  I hate to talk about my injuries,” she added.

With Jamaica’s national trials just a few weeks away, the athlete insists she is using the races to fine-tune her performance.

Reigning Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo has revealed that she expects to step away from the event by the next Olympic Games.

The Bahamian sprinter has claimed the title at the last two Olympics and could have been the first woman to win the event at three consecutive events.

 Miller-Uibo, who has the 7^th fastest time over the event all-time, and 3^rd fastest in the last 25 years, has now revealed that she does not expect to face the starter in Paris. 

“To be honest, I don’t think I’ll be doing the 400m that year [2024],” Miller-Uibo said on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meet in Rome.

 “I’m planning on wrapping it up. I’ve accomplished so much in the event, for me, it’s just about getting the world title now.”

Despite dominating at the Olympics, the athlete has never won the World Championship title with her best results coming in 2015 and 2019 when she was second behind Allyson Felix and Salwa Eid Naser respectively.  In the future, the sprinter plans to focus her effort on the 200m.

On Thursday, Miller-Uibo will face a quality 200m field, which includes reigning 200m Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, reigning World champion Dina Asher-Smith and Felix.

When Briana Williams finished ninth in the 100m dash at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on May 28, she could not have imagined the wave of negative reaction that was to follow on social media.

After a successful indoor season during which she ran a new lifetime best of 7.04 while finishing fifth in the 60m final at the World Indoor Championships in Serbia in March, Williams and her coach Ato Boldon turned their attention to preparing to compete in Jamaica’s National Senior Championships at the end of June with the intention of making Jamaica’s team to the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene in July.

Apparently, the heavy workload had taken its toll and Williams, who won gold in the 4x100m relay at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, was clearly not at her best. Following the run in Oregon, social media blew up with toxic narratives. She was not progressing fast enough. She needs to leave Boldon. Other Jamaican women had surpassed her now.

Those criticisms stung and were partly behind her decision to travel to Jamaica to compete at the JAAA/SDF Jubilee Meet at Jamaica College in Kingston on Saturday. There, she ran a wind-assisted 10.91 (3.4m/s) in the preliminary round and then returned for the final where she ran a season's best 10.98 which went a long way toward silencing the armchair coaches.

“I definitely did,” said Williams while speaking with Sportsmax.TV after her triumphant performance on Saturday night.

“We don’t always have perfect races. Last week (Oregon) wasn’t my best. I wasn’t feeling my best but I am glad I got this meet in, was able to have a prelim and a final and finish healthy with a new season’s best.”

In truth, following her performance at the Prefontaine Classic when she clocked a relatively pedestrian 11.20, Williams did begin to doubt herself. However, those doubts were quickly extinguished by Coach Boldon.

“Well, I only had Prefontaine that was really bad. After the race, I was like ‘Oh My God, what’s going on? I am putting in the work’, but my coach said just trust the process. The work is there in training; you just have to wait. Everyone has their time, and we will not always have the best races,” she said.

“I would love for people to actually understand that we’re human beings and we’re athletes and we go through a lot and one bad race, we bounce back into a good race and we move forward.”

In fact, Williams believes that despite what the naysayers believe, she has been having a really good season.

“This season has been going well so far, especially indoors, my first full season indoors, 7.04. No one at 19 has done that and just to be the youngest at the World Indoor Championships and to place fifth really meant a lot,” she said.

“After indoors I went straight into training, heavy training, and I think that was where I was feeling it, at Prefontaine.”

Now with that disappointing performance clearly behind her, Williams is now firmly focused on being at her best for Jamaica’s National Senior Championships from June 23-26, when she will face off against some of the fastest women in the world with the aim of booking a ticket to Oregon in July.

To do that she will face as deep a field as she has ever faced in Jamaica. In addition to the usual suspects, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who will compete despite having a bye to Oregon as the defending 100m champion and Shericka Jackson, Williams will come up against an in-form Kevona Davis, Natasha Morrison, Remona Burchell, Natalliah Whyte, Kemba Nelson and Shockoria Wallace all of whom have been having strong seasons.

Notwithstanding the depth of talent, the Olympic gold medallist said nothing will change in how she prepares for the fierce battles ahead.

“Never, it is always the same. It is always a hot field and I always perform my best when the time is right,” she said.

“I know that trials will be hard. Everyone is running fast. That is how it’s supposed to be. I am looking forward to trials.”

Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Jamaica’s Britany Anderson pulled off impressive victories at the 2022 FBK Games Hengelo in The Netherlands on Monday.

Elaine Thompson-Herah was a happy camper after cruising to victory in the 100m at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday. The Tokyo Olympics 100m champion clocked an easy-looking 10.83 that was a new meet record, eclipsing her own meet record of 10.87 set back in 2017.

“I feel amazing about the race today. This is my third time in Rabat and I'm super excited about the new meeting record of 10.83,” said the fastest woman alive while promising more of the same when she competes in Rome on Thursday, June 9.

“For the next event in Rome, I'm following the same process and keeping up the same pace.”

Meanwhile, Marie Jose Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast produced a late surge to overtake Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison, crossing the finish line in a season-best 11.04. Morrison also ran a season best 11.22 for the final podium spot.

The Women’s 400m was an all-Caribbean affair that was won by the Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino, who timed her finish to perfection storming past Jamaica’s McPherson and Barbados’ Sada Williams at the top of the final straight to win 50.10.

“I am happy to get this win here in Rabat. It is an important achievement for me and for my country, especially in the eyes of the world,” the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist said afterwards.

“The race was quick, but I managed to cross the line first. I trained well and this helped me to do my best. For me, my participation in Rabat is good preparation for the world championship.”

McPherson, who went out hard, had little left down the home straight and was overtaken by Williams, who clocked a season best 50.74 for second place while McPherson also ran a season-best time, 51.37, despite fading badly over the final 50m of the race.

Dominica’s Thea LaFond produced a late winning jump of 14.46m to win the triple jump competition ahead of Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts, who had a season-best 14.43 and Slovenia’s Neja Filipic, who produced a lifetime best of 14.42m for third.

Ackeem Blake ran a brand new personal best of 9.92s while winning the 100m at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday.

Reigning Olympic champions Elaine Thompson-Herah will be back in action on Sunday at the Rabat Diamond League, in Morocco, where she faces a quality field in the women’s 100m.

Lining up alongside Thompson-Herah will be experienced Ivory Coast sprinter Marie Jose Talou, Trinidad and Tobago star Michelle Lee Ahye, and compatriot Natasha Morrison.

Thompson-Herah heads into the event off the back of a dominant performance at the Prefontaine Classic last weekend where she got the better of United States sprinter Sha’arri Richardson, compatriot Shericka Jackson, and Great Britain athlete Dina Asher-Smith.  The Jamaican won the event in 10.79.

Elsewhere, another Jamaican Stephenie Ann Mcpherson will compete in the women’s 400m, while Shanieka Ricketts will compete in the women’s triple jump.

Trinidadian 2018 Commonwealth Games 100m gold medalist Michelle Lee-Ahye ran a new meet record 11.17 for victory the Women’s 100m at the Irena Szewinska Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, at the Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bygosczcz, Poland on Friday.

The 2016 Olympic 100m and 200m finalist, who has a season’s best of 10.94 done at the Orange County Classic in California on May 7, won ahead of Vitoria Rosa of Brazil (11.32) and Gina Bass of Gambia (11.33). She had previously run 11.20 in the heats.

Barbadian two-time World Championship finalist Shane Brathwaite followed up a 13.68 performance to win his heat with a run of 13.65 for fifth in the Men’s 100m hurdles won by the USA’s Jamal Britt in 13.35. Poland’s Damian Czykier ran 13.36 for second while Antonio Alkana of South Africa was third in 13.63.

Ackera Nugent will miss the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships set for June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon and Jamaica’s National Championships in Kingston from June 23-26, because of an ongoing ankle injury.

Nugent, the reigning World U20 champion, is the second fastest Jamaican woman in the world this year after running a personal best of 12.45 at the Big 12 Championships at Lubbock, Texas on May 15. Only fellow Jamaican, Demisha Roswell of Texas Tech, who ran 12.44 to beat Nugent at the Big 12 Conference Championships, has run faster this season.

The 20-year-old Nugent, a sophomore at Baylor University revealed on social media Thursday that the severity of the injury makes it impossible for her to carry on this season.

“With my ankle, this year has been a roller coaster but that has never stopped me from going out there and giving it my all,” she posted on Instagram.

“As a fighter, you have to know when to stop fighting and let go and I just wanted to let you know my season is over. I will not be competing in the NCAA Championship not will I be competing in the national senior trials this year.

“However, God has helped me along the way to have accomplished my main goal this year and I am at peace.”

Nugent’s absence will take away from the much-anticipated clashes at the NCAA Championships against the likes of the LSU pair of Alia Armstrong and Tonea Marshall as well as Roswell.

At the Jamaica National Senior Championships, she would have faced Roswell as well as 2015 World Champion Danielle Williams and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Megan Tapper.

Jamaican Olympian Kerron Stewart has been appointed Head Coach – Sprints, Hurdles and Middle Distance at SPIRE Academy in the United States. SPIRE Academy is an international, high school and postgraduate sports performance training and education academy in Geneva, Ohio.

The 38-year-old Stewart takes the position as head coach, a year after signing with Buena Vista as an assistant coach for their Track & Field/Cross Country programs.

“I am elated to join this dynamic and evolving team that’s invested in developing and inspiring young men and women. I can’t wait to start this new position and contribute my wealth of experience and knowledge to growing and developing our student-athletes,” said Stewart, who won a silver in the 100m behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 “With any new position, I know there will be challenges, but I am ready and committed.”

Stewart, who won a silver medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m team at the London 2012 Games, will be working with Coach Tim Mack as well as SPIRE’s Director of Track & Field Kibwe Johnson.

"I am thrilled to have Kerron join our coaching staff at SPIRE,” Mack said of Stewart’s appointment. “She brings a ton of experience, knowledge and enthusiasm to our track & field program.”

Meanwhile, Johnson said Stewart completes the ‘Dream Team’  coaching staff at SPIRE.

"I'm incredibly humbled to be able to add a coach with the vast wealth of knowledge and experience that Kerron will bring to the student-athletes of the SPIRE Track & Field program,” Johnson said.

“It's one thing to be a coach with vast personal experience. It's quite another to also align with the principles of leadership and teaching that I expect from this coaching staff. We're happy to have her.”