Brianna Lyston and Rikkoi Brathwaite secured second place finishes in their respective 60m races at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Twilight at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on Friday.

Lyston, the 18-year-old Jamaican LSU freshman and 2022 World Under-20 200m Champion, followed up her personal best 7.29 performance at the Tyson Invitational on February 10 with a 7.30 effort for second.

The race was won by Lyston’s LSU teammate and Nigerian Commonwealth Games 200m silver medallist Favor Ofili who ran 7.18 while Symone Mason of Tiger Olympians was third in 7.39.

The British Virgin Islands’ Brathwaite, formerly of Indiana University and now representing the Garden State Track Club, ran 6.63 in the men’s equivalent. The race was won by LSU’s Godson Oghenebrume in 6.58 while his LSU teammate Da’Marcus Fleming was third in 6.70.

Brathwaite, 23, was a finalist at the NACAC Championships in Freeport last year, running 10.20 for fifth.

In the field, Bahamian Northwestern State sophomore Carnitra Mackey threw a personal best 14.06m to win the women’s shot out ahead of teammate Deanmonique Granville (13.15m) and McNeese State’s Jaslyn Russell (13.04m).

Brathwaite’s countryman, Northwestern State junior Djimon Gumbs, was second in the men’s equivalent with a best throw of 17.93m. LSU’s Chilean Olympian Claudio Romero threw 18.06m for the win while McNeese State’s Marcus Francis was well behind in third with 15.02m.

The Caribbean was well represented at Friday’s University of South Carolina Indoor Open in Columbia, South Carolina.

Guyana's Lloyd McCurdy and Jamaican Sadiki Marsh were among the winners on the men’s side.

The 23-year-old McCurdy, competing unattached, jumped a personal best 16.04m to take the win ahead of Jamaicans Shemar Miller, who did 15.27m, and Rajaun Ricketts who did 14.99m. Both Miller and Ricketts attend Benedict College.

Marsh, also a student at Benedict College, won the 800m in 1:55.86 ahead of the Wingate University pair of Ben Aris (1:57.53) and Jakob Rettschlag (1:57.80).

Trinidadian Limestone College senior Che’ Lara ran a personal best 47.68 for second in the 400m behind South Carolina’s William Spencer Jr who ran 47.38 for the win. South Carolina’s Edward Richardson was third in 48.37 while Jamaican St. Augustine’s sophomore Sean Kalawan was fifth 48.96.

Lara’s Limestone College teammate, Grenadian Kurt Modeste, ran 21.33 for third in the 200m behind South Carolina’s Evan Miller (20.95) and Lenoir-Rhyne’s Trent Davis (21.23).

On the women’s side, Haiti’s Mulern Jean sped to 8.27 to win the 60m hurdles. Barbados’ Tia-Adana Belle was second in 8.40 while Jamaican Charleston Southern senior Chaneal Harris was third in 8.55.

Belle also enjoyed a top-three finish in the 200m, finishing third in 24.38 behind 17-year-old American sensation Shawnti Jackson (22.91) and Charleston Southern’s Lauryn James (24.16).

Dominica’s Mariah Toussaint was also a winner on the day, jumping 6.20m to comfortably win the long jump ahead of the University of West Georgia’s Pashience Collier (5.71m) and William Carey’s Zaniyah Wilson (5.68m).

Before the completion of the 60m final at 2023 Millrose Games at the Armory in New York on Saturday, February 11, not many Jamaicans would have known about Travis Williams.

Briana Williams is set to run another 60m this month and two 200m races in March as she continues preparations for the championship year ahead.

Four-time Jamaican national champion Traves Smikle attributes off-season changes to his training and becoming a father for the first time as the main factors behind his world-leading throw at the King of the Ring meeting at Excelsior High School in Kingston on Saturday, February 11.

On his fifth throw of the competition, the 30-year-old Smikle blew past his previous best of 67.72m to record a new best mark of 68.14 to claim victory over his former Calabar High teammates Fedrick Dacres (66.32m) and Chad Wright (59.94).

Obviously chuffed at establishing a new mark in the ultra-competitive world of discus, Smike expressed gratitude.

“I feel happy about it. For a good while I have been trying to hit a throw over 68; it’s unreal (laughs) but I am grateful,” said the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, who for the past few years, has battled to overcome injury and other life challenges.

With those issues hopeful behind him, he and Coach Julian Robinson plotted a new path for the coming season, especially with the new qualifying standards set by World Athletics as well as him becoming a father for the first time.

“Preparation, with each year as you get older, as you get more experienced, will vary and my coach and I, we spoke extensively on a few things that we would change to see if we could get better throws this year,” Smikle revealed.

“The qualifying mark is 67m, so immediately the mindset had to change as well because the standard has risen; physical changes, changes in the gym; overall a different approach for this season, I think that is what gave me and I have a little one now so there is motivation all round,” he said. “And it was a good series too; 64, then 66 on the second, foul, 66, third, foul and 68 on the fifth and then a foul again on the sixth.”

Saturday’s result has caused him to have a positive outlook for the season ahead.

“Overall, things are looking good,” said the NACAC champion, who finished a runner-up to Dacres in his opening meet in Manchester in January with a throw of 63.98m, “just to see where I was with the changes.”

The next step, he said, is finding those big marks more consistently.

“I am looking to be more consistent over the big marks because in the world of discus, if you’re not throwing 68/69m it makes no sense, so I am looking to be consistent throwing those marks and throwing them when it counts,” he said.

Jereem Richards and Devynne Charlton won their respective events in some style at the 2023 Millrose Games at the Nike Track and Field Centre at the Armory in New York on Saturday.

Richards, Trinidad and Tobago’s reigning world indoor champion, rebounded from his narrow loss at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix last week when he ran 45.88, to win in a season-best 45.84.

The Trinidadian was in command from the gun and created daylight between himself and the USA’s Noah Williams, who was second in 46.20.

It was the American who edged Richards over 400m in Boston last week.

Third was the USA’s Bryce Deadmon who ran 46.34.

The Bahamian champion Charlton’s good form this season, continued Saturday in New York where she ran 7.91 to win a close race with the USA duo of Tonea Marshall, who clocked a season best 7.94 and veteran Sharika Nelvis, who finished third in 7.96.

Following his mediocre season last year after his two-year suspension for whereabouts rules violations, 60 world-record holder Christian Coleman signaled a return to form winning the 60m dash in 6.47.

It was supposed to be a clash between him and Noah Lyles who ran a personal best 6.51 in Boston last week. However, the latter was disqualified for a false start and that opened the door for Jamaica’s Traves Williams of the University at Albany, who ran a lifetime best of 6.59 for second.

Josephus Lyles was given the same time but awarded third.

Aleia Hobbs, meanwhile, notched another win on her belt with a 7.04 run to win the women’s race ahead of Tamari Davis (7.08) and Mary Beth Sant-Price (7.11).

Titans International stars Briana Williams and Ackeem Blake opened their accounts in impressive style over 60m at the Camperdown Classic at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday night.

Williams, the Tokyo Olympics 4x100m gold medallist, clocked a fast 7.22 to win the dash ahead of Legacy Athletics’ Jura Levy, who ran 7.34.

Rohanna Wright of Swept Track Club ran 7.71 for third.

Blake was just as impressive, winning his short dash in 6.63 running into a negative wind, just holding off his more accomplished club-mate Yohan Blake, who clocked 6.64.

Emmanuel Archibald finished third in 6.70.

Williams, who has been training with the group since September, was chuffed about the performance.

“It felt very quick. I am just happy to be here to start the season,” she said, adding that her training has been going well, working on things that will make her better for the coming season.

“We have been working on endurance and the last part of races and this is just the start getting to the 100 and 200.”

The work, she said, is helping her get to her goals of running consistent 10.7s and 10.8s for the season ahead.

After just five months training in Jamaica, Williams said she feels at home and appreciates the support from the fans and her teammates at Titans.

“I am enjoying my coaches, my teammates and I am enjoying training,” said Williams, who races next in another 60m dash at the Gibson Relays o February 25.

“My teammates push me every day and they encourage me and I am so happy to have them.”

Like Williams, young Blake was pleased with pleased with the outcome.

“My training has been going good so far because I am healthy and I am ready," Blake said. "I have been putting in work and so I was expected to go out there, deliver, and that is what I did tonight.”

Jamaican Lamara Distin continued to prove that she is a class above the rest in the NCAA Women’s High Jump by breaking her own national indoor record to win the high jump at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson University on Saturday.

Texas A&M’s Distin, who has yet to lose indoors this season, jumped 1.97m to win ahead of teammate Bara Sajdokova who produced 1.87m while Georgia’s Elena Kulichenko jumped 1.84m for third.

Distin’s mark equals her own outdoor national record which she did on her way to winning gold at the NCAA Championships.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist has now achieved winning clearances this season of 1.90m at the Razorback Classic on January 27, 1.94m at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on February 3 and 1.97m on Saturday.

Elsewhere, 2019 World Championships shot put silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd threw 18.74m to comfortably win the event ahead of Hannah Hall who threw 16.71m and Ana da Silva who threw 16.60m for third.

Jamaicans also occupied the top two spots in the Men’s triple jump as Virginia’s Owayne Owens produced 16.59m for victory ahead of Kentucky’s Luke Brown who produced 16.43m. Ohio State’s Clarence Foote-Talley was third with 15.88m.

Antiguan Tennessee junior Joella Lloyd got her second 60m win of the season at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson University on Friday.

The 20-year-old clocked a season’s best 7.17, narrowly short of her personal best and national record 7.15 set back in 2021, to win ahead of Tennessee teammate Jacious Sears who did 7.22 and Jamaican Ohio State senior Yanique Dayle who did 7.34.

This performance marked an improvement from Lloyd’s first appearance of the season where she ran times of 7.34 and 7.21 in the heats and the final to finish first and third, respectively, at the Bob Pollock Invitational on January 27.

Elsewhere, Jamaican World Championships representative Charokee Young, who has now turned professional, finished fourth overall in the Women’s 400m.

The former Hydel High and Texas A&M standout ran 52.11 to win the first of 20 heats but her time saw her finish fourth overall behind USC’s Jan’Taijah Jones and Texas A&M’s Jermaisha Arnold, who both did 51.89 while Arnold’s teammate Kennedy Wade did 52.10 for third.

Meanwhile, Barbadian Texas senior Jonathan Jones finished fourth overall in the men’s equivalent. He ran a time of 45.78 to finish as runner-up in the first heat behind Texas A&M’s Auhmad Robinson who ran 45.65. Robinson’s time was good enough for second overall behind Georgia’s Elijah Godwin who produced 45.63. Tennesee’s Emmanuel Bynum ran 45.67 for third overall.

Jones’ time was slightly faster than the 45.83 he did to open his season with a win at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on February 4.

Russia's sports minister has attacked politicians' demands to block athletes from the country competing at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.

Oleg Matytsin said it was "absolutely unacceptable" for governments to attempt to influence the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

His reaction on Saturday followed Lithuanian sports minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene announcing there was a "unanimous" view from a group of around 35 countries that athletes from Russia and Belarus should be banned from the Paris 2024 Games.

The stance comes amid the invasion of Ukraine, with ministers from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Australia, reportedly opposing Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to take part, even under a neutral flag.

A virtual meeting of sports ministers, also attended by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was held on Friday.

Zelenskyy said the presence of competitors from Russia "cannot be covered up with some pretended neutrality or a white flag", saying their presence would be a "manifestation of violence and lawlessness".

Matytsin told reporters, according to Russian news agency TASS, that other nations had no right to put pressure on Olympic chiefs.

He said: "This is a direct intervention of ministers in the activities of independent international sports organisations, an attempt to dictate the conditions for the participation of athletes in international competitions, which is absolutely unacceptable.

"Moreover, more than a month ago, the national Olympic committees of these countries supported the decision of the IOC on the participation of our athletes in competitions.

"These countries are putting pressure on the activities of independent public organisations, which they tried to accuse us of. Now we see an undisguised desire to destroy the unity of international sports and the international Olympic movement, to make sport a means of pressure in order to resolve political issues."

Matytsin said sport should instead be used "to be an ambassador of peace and build bridges between peoples".

Athletes from Ukraine have accused the IOC of "being on the wrong side of history" as Games organisers consider whether athletes from Russia and Belarus, which has supported Russian invasion efforts, should be able to take part in Paris.

IOC president Thomas Bach previously criticised Ukrainian calls for a boycott of the Olympics if Russians and Belarusians are allowed to take part.

In a statement issued in conjunction with union Global Athlete, Ukraine's Olympic committee said allowing Russia to compete would enable the country to "use the athletes to bolster the war effort and distract from the atrocities in Ukraine".

Amoi Brown uncorked a lifetime best time to win the 60m hurdles at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday when Natasha Morrison and Tina Clayton were second and third, respectively, in the 60m Open.

Sada Williams was also third in the 300m Open at the meet where rising star Briana Lyston, a freshman at LSU, ran a personal best over 60m.

Brown, who trains with MVP Track Club, won her preliminary round heat in a personal best 8.13 but had more in store for the final where she blazed to victory in a new lifetime best time of 8.04.

She was comfortably clear of Great Britain’s Cindy Sember, who produced a season best 8.11 for second place just ahead of Florida’s Imani Carothers who ran a lifetime best of 8.15.

Meantime, in the 60m dash, Morrison clocked 7.30 to finish behind Jayda Baylark, who replicated her time of 7.23 from the preliminary round.

Clayton, the World U20 100m champion, in her indoor debut, ran 7.24 in the preliminary round but was unable to replicate or go faster, finishing third in 7.38.

Sada Williams, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist ran 37.13 while finishing third in the 300m. She trailed Great Britain’s Nicole Yeargin, who produced a personal best 36.80 for second place behind the USA’s Alexis Holmes, who also ran a personal best 36.71.

Four-hundred-metre hurdlers Janieve Russell and Andranette Knight ran 37.30 and 37.37 for fourth and fifth, respectively.

Lyston, meanwhile, ran a personal best 7.29 to win her heat and qualify for the preliminary round of the 60m dash. However, she took no further part in the competition.

Britany Anderson followed up her third place finish in Poland earlier this week with a victory in the 60m hurdles at the ISTAF Indoor Meeting in Berlin on Friday.

Anderson, the 2022 World Championships 100m hurdles silver medalist, was a model of consistency this week as after running 7.83 in Torun, she clocked 7.87 to win her preliminary round heat before winning the final in 7.85 ahead of Australia’s Michelle Jenneke, who ran a personal best 7.89 for second place.

Natalia Christophi of Cyprus was third in 8.01.

In the men’s equivalent, Olympian Damion Thomas ran a season-best 7.65 to finish second in a close battle with Great Britain’s David King, who ran 7.63 for the win.

Paolo Dal Molin of Italy was a close third in 7.69.

Reece Prescod of Great Britain won the 60m dash in a meet record 6.49, which was also a personal best. He held off the challenge of German duo of Joshua Hartmann, who clocked a personal best 6.53 and Julian Wagner (6.56) for second and third, respectively.

Great Britain’s Daryll Neita continued her good form this season with a lifetime best 7.05 to win the Women’s 60m dash.

Tristan Evelyn of Barbados ran a national record and personal best 7.14 to claim the runner-up spot ahead of Germany’s Gina Luckenkemper, who finished third in 7.16.

Jamaica's reigning 800m champion Chrisann Gordon-Powell is pregnant.

Briana Williams will race over 60m at the Camperdown Classic at the National Stadium on Saturday in what will be her first official competition since she joined Titans International in September 2022.

Williams, who turns 21, next month boasts a personal best of 7.04 while finishing fifth in the 60m final at the World Indoor Championships in Serbia in March, 2022.

It was a significant improvement on the 7.18 she ran at the Armory in New York in February 2020. Her outdoor 60m best of 7.15 was set at the National Stadium in Kingston in January that year.

The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist had trained with Coach Ato Boldon for a decade before making the move to Titans International last year citing a need for a change.

“I’m excited about this new chapter and happy to be training in Jamaica,” Williams said following the move to the club where she now trains under the guidance of coaches Gregory Little and Olympian Michael Frater.

After the Camperdown Classic, Williams is set to compete next at the Gibson Relays set to the final Saturday, February 25.