Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton and Shiann Salmon booked spots in the women’s 400m hurdles final at the Paris Olympic Games following contrasting performances in their respective semi-finals at Stade de France on Tuesday.

Like she has done all season, Clayton went out hard and relaxed somewhat mid-race, before powering home to win semi-final one in a flat 53.00s. She took American Jasmine Jones (53.83s) into the final with her.

American World Record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cruised to victory in semi-final two in 52.13s, ahead of Frenchwoman Louise Maraval (53.83s), while Jamaica’s Janieve Russell (54.65s) battled hard for fourth but missed a spot in the final.

Meanwhile, Salmon ran a well-paced race for third in semi-final three. She stopped the clock in a personal best of 53.13s, which was good for one of the two non-automatic qualifying spots.

The race was won by gold medal favorite Femke Bol of the Netherlands in an easy 52.57s. American Anna Cockrell (52.90s) was second, while Canada’s Savannah Sutherland (53.80s) also progressed as a non-automatic qualifier.

The final is scheduled for Thursday, August 8.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem ‘The Dream’ Richards and Grenada’s Kirani James ensured the Caribbean will have two shots at a medal in the men’s 400m at the Paris Olympic Games, as both progressed to the final after tidy semi-final performances at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

Richards, hunting his first Olympic Games medal, finished second in semi-final one in 44.33s, behind American Quincy Hall, who won in 43.95s.

James, a three-time Olympic medallist in the event, seems poised to add to his tally as he rekindled his form of old with a blistering season’s best 43.78s clocking in winning semi-final two. It was just outside his personal best of 43.74s.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s lone semi-finalist, Jevaughn Powell (44.91s), produced a gallant performance for fourth in semi-final three, but it was not enough to progress.

The other finalists are Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.07s), American Michael Norman (44.26s), and Christopher Bailey (44.31s), as well as Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga (43.81) and Samuel Ogazi (44.71s) of Nigeria.

The final is scheduled for Wednesday August 7.

Grenada's Anderson Peters and Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott both advanced to the men's javelin throw finals at the Paris Olympics Games, following contrasting performances at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

While Peters registered a season’s best 88.63m on his first attempt in a one-and-done performance to qualify second from Group B, Walcott, who launched the instrument to 83.02m for sixth in Group A, was made to sweat before he was eventually confirmed as the 11^th overall best thrower in the final 12 to contest the medal event.

The fact that Peters effortlessly exceeded the qualification standards to qualify second overall places him in line for a possible podium finish, provided he can replicate or better his qualifying performance. Only India's Neeraj Chopra, who threw a season’s best 89.34m, topped Peters.

Walcott, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, would have welcomed his qualification based on his distance despite not meeting the automatic qualification standard of 84.00m and will no doubt be looking to improve significantly in the final.

The men's javelin throw final is scheduled for August 8.

Jamaica’s diving flagbearer and team captain, Yona Knight-Wisdom, advanced to the semifinals of the Men's 3m Springboard at the 2024 Paris Olympics, following a successful routine in qualifying at the Aquatics Centre on Tuesday.

The British-born Knight-Wisdom scored a total of 382.90 points to secure the 14th overall position.

Knight-Wisdom performed exceptionally well in the six rounds. He received 73.10 points for his outstanding performance in the Forward 2½ Somersaults 2 Twists pike dive, followed by 72.85 for his Forward 3½ Somersaults pike dive. His other scores were: 67.50 for a Forward 2½ Somersaults, 1 Twist pike dive; 64.50 for a Back 2½ Somersaults pike dive; and 61.20 for an Inward 3½ Somersaults tuck dive. His Reverse 3½ Somersaults tuck dive scored 43.75 points.

The 29-year-old became the first Jamaican male diver to compete at the Olympic Games when he participated in the 3m springboard at Rio 2016. He was also the first Jamaican diver to compete at the world championships when he participated in the 1m springboard at the 2013 edition in Barcelona, Spain. He is credited as a 2019 Pan American Games silver medallist in 1m springboard.

The semifinal is scheduled for August 7.

It was a mixed bag for Caribbean representatives in the Repechage round of the men’s 200m and 400m hurdles and women’s 400m at the Paris Olympic Games, as only two of seven athletes were successful in progressing at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

Of the three Caribbean men in the 200m, only Jamaica’s national champion, Brian Levell, advanced to the semi-final after placing second in heat two in 20.47s, which was good enough for a non-automatic qualifying spot.

Another Jamaican, Andrew Hudson (20.55s), and Bahamian, Ian Kerr (20.60s), placed second and third, respectively, in heat four, but were not quick enough to progress as only the winner from that heat advanced.

In the women’s 400m, Puerto Rico’s Gabby Scott won heat two with a National Record of 50.52s to advance to the semi-finals, while Shaunae Miller-Uibo (53.50s) of the Bahamas was eighth in the same heat.

Earlier, Guyana’s Aliyah Abrams (51.84s) was fifth in heat one and failed to progress.

Meanwhile, Dominican Republic’s Yeral Nunez (53.68s), the lone Caribbean representative in the 400m hurdles, was fifth in his heat and missed out on a spot in the semi-finals.

Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith will contest the women’s long jump final at the Paris Olympic Games, while compatriot Chanice Porter missed out, following contrasting performances in their respective qualifications at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

Smith, who also represented Jamaica in the triple jump final earlier in the Games, cut the sand at 6.59m on her second attempt for fifth in qualifying Pool B.

Porter, who went in Pool A started well with her first leap of 6.48m, but she failed to improve on that and was left in eighth, as it was not good enough to contest the medal event.

Earlier, Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey missed out on an automatic spot in the women’s 1500m.

Despite clocking a season’s best 4:09.33 in heat one, Tracey finished down the track in 13^th and will have to contest the repechage round for a second shot at progressing.

Grenada’s Lindon Victor captured the bronze medal in the men’s decathlon at the Paris Olympic Games with a final points tally of 8711.

The thrilling decathlon competition saw Norway’s Markus Rooth land gold, while Germany’s Leo Neugebauer secured silver.

Victor delivered outstanding achievements in the 10 events. He set a season’s best in the high jump, clearing 2.02 metres to finish third and receive 822 points.

He then clocked 47.84s in heat two of the 400m race, which earned him 917 points, with another 896 points coming by way of a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles. His time was 14.62s.

The 31-year-old Grenadian then produced an excellent performance in the discus throw, setting an Olympic Decathlon Best of 53.91m, which is when he actually ascended into a medal position by virtue of that 952 points. He then added 880 points and 862 points from the pole vault and javelin, where he cleared 4.90m and threw 68.22m, respectively.

Victor then closed with a 4:43.53-clocking in the 1,500m race, adding 658 points to his final score.

Meanwhile, Bahamian Ken Mullings also delivered a commendable performance in the decathlon, finishing 13th with 8226 points.

Mullings tied Victor's high jump mark of 2.02m, gaining 822 points. He established a season best of 49.43s in the 400m for fourth, which earned him 841 points. 

In the 110m hurdles, Mullings clocked 13.70s for another 1014 points, with a discus personal best of 46.07m adding a further 789 points.

Mullings continued his impressive performance in the pole vault, clearing 4.80m for 849 points, and he had another 735 points from the javelin, where he threw 59.83m.

The 27-year-old then ended with a 4:55.84-clocking in the 1500m to add 584 points to his final tally.

Julien Alfred made history, becoming the first athlete from St. Lucia to win an Olympic gold medal in the women's 100m at the Paris Olympic Games on Saturday.

In a stunning display of speed and determination, Alfred crossed the finish line first, and, much like she did when she copped the World Indoor title earlier this year, etched her name into the annals of Olympic history, bringing immense pride to her island nation.

On a cool, and wet evening at the Stade de France, Alfred, running from lane six, delivered a performance that will be remembered for generations. The 23-year-old’s explosive start and powerful finish left competitors in her wake, as she clocked a National Record of 10.72s in a negative 0.1 metres per second wind reading.

After crossing the line, Alfred raised her arms in triumph but later burst into tears, overwhelmed by the magnitude of her achievement. She is now the third Caribbean sprinter to win the title after Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah, but more importantly, Alfred also ensured that the women's 100m gold goes to a Caribbean representative for a fifth Olympic Games.

The American duo of Sha’Carri Richardson (10.87s) and Melissa Jefferson (10.92s) took silver and bronze. Jamaica’s Tia Clayton (11.04s) had a slight stumble early and was left back in seventh.

Jamaica’s quartet had to settle for fifth in the 4x400m Mixed Relay final as the Netherlands, anchored by 400m hurdles stalwart Femke Bol, upstaged United States at the Stade de France on Saturday.

With the Jamaican team of Raheem Hayles, Junelle Bromfield, Zandrion Barnes, and Stephanie Ann McPherson never really in it from the start, Bol, who got the baton in fourth position, bided her time before exploding in the stretch to sweep past American anchor Kaylyn Brown.

The Dutch team, which also included Eugene Omalla, Lieke Klaver, and Isaya Klein, won in an Area Record of 3:07.43, just outside the American’s World Record of 3:07.41. The Americans were second in 3:07.74, with Great Britain third in a National Record 3:08.01.

Jamaica initially crossed the line sixth in 3:11.67, but were later upgraded to fifth after the disqualification of the French team.

With decorated Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce disappointedly pulling out of the women’s 100m semi-finals at the last minute, her compatriot Tia Clayton and St Lucia’s Julien Alfred are left to represent the Caribbean in the finals, as both easily progressed at the Stade de France on Saturday.

In what is her final Olympic Games, Fraser-Pryce, who boasts a rich legacy as one of, if not the greatest female sprinter of all time, was expected to end this chapter of her career on a high. However, after arriving in the call room, the 37-year-old, who has had her struggles with injuries this season, was later seen heading back to the warm-up area, and news of her withdrawal sent ripples through the track and field community.

While Fraser-Pryce’s competitors' respect and admiration for her is evident, they had to focus on their own task at hand in the hunt for Olympic glory.

In her absence, St Lucia’s stalwart Alfred finished tops in semi-final two, as she got away well from lane six and was not for catching. She won in 10.84s, ahead of American World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson (10.89s), who closed late.

Jamaica’s rising sensation Tia Clayton, now viewed by many as a proverbial ‘dark horse’ in the event, won semi-final three in 10.89s, pulling Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.97s) with her. American Twanisha Terry (11.07s) was third and progressed as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers. Trinidad and Tobago's Leah Bertrand (11.37s) was ninth.

Earlier, American Melissa Jefferson topped semi-final one in 10.99s, with Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (11.01s) closing fast to take the second automatic qualifying spot. Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (11.05s) got the other non-automatic qualifying spot.

Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes (11.20s) was sixth.

The final is scheduled for 2:20pm Jamaica time.

Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson expectedly headline Caribbean men through to the 100m semi-finals at the Paris Olympic Games, as both were very easy in winning their respective heats at Stade de France on Saturday.

Seville, Thompson, and compatriot Ackeem Blake, along with the British Virgin Islands’ Rikkoi Brathwaite and Cuba’s Reynaldo Espinosa, are the Caribbean representatives that remain on course for the final.

Currently the world leader at 9.77s, Thompson was easy in victory in heat one in 10.00s, ahead of Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati (10.08s) and Cuba’s Reynaldo Espinosa (10.11s).

Kenyan stalwart Ferdinand Omanyala topped heat two in 10.08s, ahead of Italy’s Chituru Ali (10.12s) and Joshua Hartmann (10.16s) of Germany. Trinidad and Tobago’s Devin Augustine (10.31s) was fifth in that heat and missed out on the semi-finals.

Great Britain’s Louie Hinchcliffe sprang a surprise to win heat three in 9.98s, upstaging American Noah Lyles (10.04s), who had to work somewhat toward the end. South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi (10.06s) secured the third automatic spot in the heat. Naquille Harris (10.38s) of St. Kitts and Nevis missed out.

Seville also ran a relaxed race to finish tops in heat four as he stopped the clock at 9.99s. Japan’s Sani Brown (10.02s) and Thailand’s Puripol Boonson (10.13s) also progressed. Bahamas’ Terrence Jones (10.31s) was fifth in that heat.

Heat five was topped by Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi (10.02s), ahead of Italy’s reigning Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs (10.05s) and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (10.06s). Cayman Island’s Davonte Howell (10.24s) was sixth.

South Africa’s Akani Simbine produced a late surge to top heat six in 10.03s, ahead of Blake (10.06s) and Brathwaite (10.13s). Bahamas’ Wanya McCoy (10.24s) and Guyana’s Emanuel Archibald (10.40s) were fifth and eighth, respectively.

American Kenneth Bednarek was joint fastest in qualifying at 9.97s, which he clocked in winning heat seven, ahead of Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (9.98s) and Canada’s Andre de Grasse (10.07s). Jose Gonzalez (10.40s) of the Dominican Republic was eighth.

A stacked eighth and final heat was topped by another American, Fred Kerly, who also stopped the clock in 9.97s. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (10.01s) and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.03s) also progressed.

Cejhae Greene (10.17s) of Antigua and Barbuda ran well for fourth, but wasn’t fast enough for one of the non-automatic qualifying spots, while Haiti’s Christopher Borzor (10.28s) was fifth.

Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey failed to capitalise on a second chance at the women’s 800m semi-finals as she again finished down the track in the Repechage round on day two of athletics action at the Paris Olympic Games inside the Stade de France on Saturday.

With the winner of the four Repechage heats and the next two fastest non-automatic qualifiers guaranteed a semi-final spot, Tracey, running in heat two, could only manage fifth in 2:03.67.

While the Jamaican missed out, Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza ran a well-timed race where she controlled the pace, backed off, and then rallied late to win heat three to continue her medal hunt. Almanza won in 2:01.54.

The other qualifiers include Australia’s Abbey Caldwell (2:00.07), France’s Anais Bourgoin (1:59.52), Germany’s Majtie Kolberg (1:59.08), and Kenya’s Vivian Chebet Kiprotich (1:59.31). These ladies will join the 18 automatic qualifiers from day one, including Jamaica's Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

World number one Iga Swiatek and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova headlined a number of players to withdraw from the Canadian Open next week. 

Swiatek, who became the first player from Poland to win an Olympic medal in tennis history at the Paris Games on Friday, withdrew due to fatigue. 

Meanwhile, Krejcikova, who returned to the top 10 in the world rankings after her success at the All England Club, cited a thigh injury for her decision not to travel to Canada.

"I'm sorry to announce that due to overall fatigue caused by the last couple of weeks on the court I need to withdraw from the tournament in Toronto," Swiatek said in a Tennis Canada news release.

"Due to an intense tennis schedule with the Olympics taking place this year and changing surfaces, I need more time to rest and recover in order to be ready to play the US swing in good health and at my best possible level."

Krejcikova was beaten in the quarter-finals in both the singles and doubles at the Games, and said she is looking after her health ahead of the U.S. Open.

"The past four weeks have been incredible; however, the intense schedule has taken a toll on my body, and I need to prioritise my health to ensure I can continue competing at my best," said Krejcikova.

"Thank you for your understanding and support, and I look forward to returning to the court soon."

Tennis Canada said other withdrawals included Jasmine Paolini, Maria Sakkari, Danielle Collins and Caroline Garcia following their participation in the Paris Olympics.

"We understand the unique honour of athletes in an individual sport representing their country at the Olympic Games and that players must do what is best for them in terms of their health, recovery and schedules," said Karl Hale, director of the Canadian Open.

Past grand slam champions Sofia Kenin and Slone Stephens moved into the main draw for the Toronto tournament.

The NBO's men's tournament in Montreal took a hit earlier this week with the announcement that both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz would also be missing the event.

St Lucia’s Luc Chevrier, Aruba’s Just Aanholt, and Thad Lettsome of the British Virgin Islands all redeemed themselves in races three and four of the men's dinghy event at the Marseille Marina – Frioul on Friday.

The standout performance came from Lettsome, who secured an impressive second place in race four. He started strong and led at mark 1, but slipped to third at mark three before inching up to second at mark 4, where he stayed until the end.

Lettsome finished just behind Croatia's Filip Jurisic. Aanholt and Chevrier placed 24th and 25th, respectively.

Race three saw Chevrier deliver the best performance among the trio, as he placed 19th, while Aanholt and Lettsome were 25th and 36th, respectively.

The overall standings reflect improvements for the Caribbean trio, with Chevrier now ranked 31st, Aanholt 33rd, and Lettsome 34th. All three sailors have advanced from their former positions after the first two races, demonstrating their determination and competence.

Bermuda’s Penruddocke, Cayman Islands’ Webster represent the Caribbean in women’s dinghy

Bermuda’s Adriana Penruddocke had a great start in the women’s dinghy event, finishing 14th in race one at the Marseille Marina – Frioul.

Meanwhile, Cayman Islands’ Charlotte Webster finished 41st in the same race.

Both sailors struggled in Race 2, with Penruddocke finishing 35th and Webster 40th. Penruddocke, on the other hand, redeemed herself in race three, finishing 26th, while Webster was 39th.

After three races, Penruddocke is 26th overall with 40 points, and Webster is 41st with 79 points.

Penruddocke, 24, secured her spot in Paris 2024 with a sixth-place result at the 2023 Pan American Games.

Webster, 20, qualified by finishing 12th in the ILCA 6 at the same games, becoming the third woman sailor from Cayman Islands to represent the country at an Olympic Games.

As the competition progresses and the upcoming races begin, the spotlight will be on these Caribbean competitors as they work to improve their place in the sport.

Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines secured their spots in the women’s 800m semi-finals at the Paris Olympic Games after both ran well-paced races to advance from their respective heats at the Stade de France on Friday.

Goule-Toppin comfortably won the sixth and final heat in 1:58.66 in a gate-to-wire performance. She was followed by Australia’s Claudia Hollingsworth (1:58.77) and Kenya’s Lilian Odira (1:58.83).

Prior to that, Maloney clocked a new national record of 1:58.23 for third place in heat five, behind Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.90) and Kenya’s Mary Moraa (1:57.95).

Earlier, Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie comfortably topped heat one in a flat 2:00.00, ahead of fast-finishing Slovakian Gabriela Gajanova (2:00.29) and American Juliette Whittaker (2:00.45).

Cuba’s Daily Cooper Gaspar proved better than the rest in heat two, as she won in 1:58.88. South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso (1:59.84) and Switzerland’s Rachel Pellaud (2:00.07) took the other qualifying spots.

In heat three, Ethiopia’s Worknesh Mesele finished tops in a personal best of 1:58.07, ahead of Frenchwoman Renelle Lamote (1:58.59) and Great Britain’s 17-year-old prodigy Phoebe Gill (1:58.83). Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza placed sixth in 2:00.36 and will contest the Repechage round.

Another Great Britain stalwart, Keely Hodkinson (1:59.31), outclassed rivals in heat four, with American Nia Akins (1:59.67) and Benin’s Noelie Yarigo (1:59.68) also progressing. Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey was eighth in that heat in a season’s best 2:03.47 and will have to contest the Repechage round for another shot at the semi-final.