Jamaican athletes Shashalee Forbes, Stephenie-Ann McPherson, and Orlando Bennett delivered standout performances, claiming victories in their respective events at the LX Palio Citta Della Quercia Meeting in Rovereto, Italy, on Tuesday.

Forbes, who was a semi-finalist in the 100m at the Paris Olympics, showcased her speed once again by winning the women’s 100m dash in 11.17 seconds. She edged out fellow Jamaican Natasha Morrison, who was a close second in 11.22 seconds. Morrison narrowly beat the USA’s Celera Barnes, who clocked 11.23 to take third place.

McPherson, a seasoned competitor nearing the end of her illustrious career, ran a season’s best of 50.65 seconds to triumph in the women’s 400m. In a thrilling race, McPherson held off a strong challenge from Barbados’ Olympic finalist Sada Williams, who finished just behind in 50.67. Another Caribbean athlete, Shafiqua Maloney, took third with a time of 50.75, completing an all-Caribbean podium. Jamaica’s Stacey-Ann Williams finished fifth in 51.12.

Orlando Bennett emerged victorious in a closely contested men’s 110m hurdles, clocking 13.45 to narrowly beat the USA’s Cordell Tinch, who finished in 13.46. Roger Iribarne of Cuba rounded out the podium with a time of 13.54.

In other notable performances, Zandrian Barnes of Jamaica finished second in the men’s 400m, running a season’s best of 45.30. Brazil’s Mathesus Lima won the race in a time of 44.99, while Belgium’s Johnathan Sacoor took third in 45.33. Rusheen McDonald of Jamaica finished fourth in 45.62, while Wendell Miller of the Bahamas was sixth in 45.74.

In the field events, Jamaica's Romaine Beckford continued his strong post-Olympic form, finishing second in the high jump with a clearance of 2.26m. Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi took the win, clearing 2.29m. In the long jump, Jamaica's 2019 world champion Tajay Gayle also secured a second-place finish with a leap of 7.96m, just behind winner Anvar Anvarov, who jumped 7.99m. Gayle's compatriot Shawn-D Thompson also jumped 7.96m but finished third on countback.

The performances of the Jamaican athletes in Rovereto underscored their strength on the international stage, as they continue to make their mark late in the season.

Day 8 of Track and Field at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a day of mixed emotions for Caribbean athletes, highlighted by a standout performance from Jamaica's women in the 4x100m relay. As the morning session unfolded, the Jamaican quartet delivered a strong run to secure their place in the finals, a beacon of hope on an otherwise challenging day for the region.

The Jamaican team, comprised of Alana Reid, Kemba Nelson, Shashalee Forbes, and Tia Clayton finished third in their heat with a season-best time of 42.35 seconds, which placed them sixth overall and earned them a coveted spot in the finals.

In stark contrast, Trinidad and Tobago’s women’s relay team faced disappointment. Despite their best efforts, they finished eighth in their heat with a time of 43.99 seconds, which was not enough to advance to the finals. The team, consisting of Akilah Lewis, Sole Frederick, Sanaa Frederick, and Leah Bertrand, gave it their all but ultimately fell short.

The men’s 4x100m relay saw similar heartbreak for Jamaica. The team, made up of Ackeem Blake, Jelani Walker, Jehlani Gordon, and Kishane Thompson, ran a season-best time of 38.45 seconds but finished fourth in their heat and 11th overall, failing to make it to the finals. It was a bitter pill to swallow as they had high hopes for a strong finish.

Elsewhere, the Caribbean faced tough outcomes in other events.

In the women's shot put, Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydricia Cameron, along with Trinidad & Tobago's Portious Warren, did not advance past the qualification round. Thomas-Dodd threw 18.12m, Cameron achieved a season-best of 18.02m, and Warren managed 17.22m. Their efforts were valiant but fell short of the 19.15m qualification standard, ending their Olympic journeys in this event.

The women's 100m hurdles also saw Caribbean athletes falling short. Emelia Chatfield of Haiti and Denisha Cartwright of the Bahamas competed fiercely but did not make it past the repechage round. Chatfield finished sixth in her heat with a time of 13.24 seconds, while Cartwright was seventh, clocking 13.45 seconds. Despite their strong performances, they were unable to advance to the semifinals.

In the men's 800m, St Vincent and the Grenadines' Handal Roban, Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson, and Dominica’s Dennick Luke all faced similar fates in the repechage round. Roban finished fourth with a time of 1:45.80, Anderson fifth in his heat with 1:46.01, and Luke set a national record of 1:46.81 but finished sixth in his heat. None of these times were sufficient to move on to the semifinals, marking the end of their Olympic campaigns in this event.

The semifinals of the women’s 100m at the Paris Olympics will provide some of the most anticipated battles of the athletics programme.

With all the projected medal contenders successfully making it through the heats on Friday, the fields for Saturday’s semifinals have been set with a monumental clash set to take place in the second semifinal between three of the fastest women on earth.

The second semifinal will see Jamaica’s three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce lining up against American reigning World champion and current world leader Sha’Carri Richardson as well as St. Lucian reigning World Indoor 60m champion and 2023 Bowerman Award winner Julien Alfred.

Fraser-Pryce was the fastest of the three in Friday’s heats with her 10.92 to finish second behind Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith in the eighth and final heat.

Richardson ran 10.94 to win the first heat while Alfred won the second heat in 10.95.

The rest of the field for semifinal two includes Gina Bass-Bittaye, Rosemary Chukwuma, Bree Masters, Patrizia Van de Weken, Imani Lansiquot and Gladymar Torres.

Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes will contest the first semifinal against the likes of Ta Lou-Smith, who was fastest in the heats with her 10.87, 2019 World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith and World Indoor Championships 60m silver medallist Ewa Swoboda. Zaynab Dosso, Rani Rosius, Melissa Jeffferson, Mujinga Kambundji and Boglarka Takacs complete the field in that semifinal.

Jamaica’s Tia Clayton and Trinidad & Tobago’s Leah Bertrand will contest the third semifinal. That field is completed by Daryll Neita, Audrey Leduc, TeeTee Terry, Karolina Manasova, Zoe Hobbs, Gina Lueckenkemper and Delphine Nkansa.

The top two from each semifinal will advance to the final along with the next two fastest times.

The semifinals are set to start at 12:50pm Jamaica Time (1:50pm EST) with the final scheduled for 2:20pm (3:20pm EST).

As expected, all the main protagonists from the Caribbean booked spots in the women’s 100m semi-finals as the athletics portion of the Paris Olympic Games got under way at Stade de France on Friday.

The Caribbean women, led by the legendary Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, all safely navigated their respective heats with contrasting performances.

Though she placed second in the eighth and final heat in 10.92s, Fraser-Pryce, in her final appearance at the global multi-sport event, was the fastest of the Caribbean representatives. The 37-year-old was only bettered by Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, who clocked a season-best 10.87s to win that heat.

Germany’s Gina Lueckenkemper (11.08s) was third. The quality of Fraser-Pryce and Ta Lou-Smith was highlighted by the fact that the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers—Rani Rosius (11.12s) of Belgium and Puerto Rico’s Gladymar Torres, with a national record of 11.12s—came from that final heat.

Earlier, St. Lucia’s standout Julien Alfred comfortably topped heat two in 10.95s, ahead of New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs (11.08s) and Italy’s Zaynab Dosso (11.30s). The other Caribbean ladies, Michelle-Lee Ahye (11.33s) of Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba’s Yunisleidy Garcia Abreu (11.37s), placed fourth and fifth in the same heat and missed out on semi-final spots.

Prior to that, Tristan Evelyn (11.55s) of Barbados failed to progress, as she placed sixth in heat one. The heat was won by American World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson in 10.94s, ahead of Patrizia van der Weken (11.14s) of Luxembourg and Australia’s Bree Masters (11.26s).

Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, with a season’s best 10.92s, led qualifiers from heat three. American Melissa Jefferson (10.96s) and Hungary’s Boglarka Takacs, who clocked a national record of 11.10s, also progressed.

Jamaica’s debutant Tia Clayton did what was required to advance, as she placed second in heat four in 11.00s. Canada’s Audrey Leduc won in a national record of 10.95s, while Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot (11.10s) also advanced.

Heat five was won by Poland’s Ewa Swoboda in a season’s best 10.99s, ahead of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (11.01s) and Rosemary Chukwuma (11.26s).

The Caribbean duo of Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes (11.19s), who replaced Shericka Jackson, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Leah Bertrand (11.27s) safely progressed to the semi-finals after placing second and third in heat six. American Twanisha Terry (11.15s) won the event, while Zahria Allers-Liburd (11.89s) of St. Kitts and Nevis, who ran the preliminary round earlier in the day, finished out of contention in eighth.

Grenada’s Halle Hazzard (11.70s), who progressed from the preliminary round an hour early, failed to repeat the feat as she placed eighth in heat seven. Gambia’s Miriam Bass Bittaye (11.01s) won that heat ahead of Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (11.05s) and Delphine Nkansa (11.20s).

Shericka Jackson claimed her third consecutive national 100m title on day two of the JAAA National Senior and Junior Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Friday.

The two-time World 200m champion produced a season’s best 10.84 to take top spot ahead of 19-year-old Tia Clayton who ran 10.90 to finish second after running a personal best 10.86 to get to the final.

Two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce booked a spot at her fifth Olympic Games with 10.94 in third.

The top six was rounded out by Shashalee Forbes (11.04), Kemba Nelson (11.14) and Alana Reid (11.14).

“I’m feeling good. I just wanted to qualify and I did so I’m okay,” Jackson told the media after her race.

“I only ran one 100m before these championships and my 200m haven’t been the best but you just have to trust the process and I’m here today,” she added.

On the Men’s side, Kishane Thompson delivered on the promise he showed in both the heats on Thursday and the semi-finals earlier on Friday with a personal best and world leading 9.77 to win his maiden national 100m title.

Oblique Seville ran 9.82 to take second while Ackeem Blake ran a season’s best 9.92 in third.

Bryan Levell (10.04), Jelani Walker (10.04) and Jehlani Gordon (10.07) rounded out the top six in the final.

In the Under-20 100m finals, Edwin Allen’s Theianna-Lee Terrelonge ran a brilliant personal best 11.13 to win the girls final ahead of Muschett High’s Shanoya Douglas (11.28) and Lacovia’s Sabrina Dockery (11.29).

The boys equivalent was won by Gary Card of Wolmer’s Boys in a brilliant personal best of 10.07, the second fastest time ever by a Jamaican junior.

Herbert Morrison Technical’s Deandre Daley ran 10.16 for second while Kingston College’s Nyrone Wade was third in 10.36.

Jamaican sprinter Shashalee Forbes encountered a challenging moment during the final of the 100m at the Miramar Invitational Meeting in Florida on Saturday, where she suffered an injury while competing. The situation took a heartwarming turn when USA's World 100m champion Sha'Carri Richardson, along with her training partner Twanisha Terry, rushed to Forbes' aid despite the fierce rivalry between the USA and Jamaica in track and field.

Forbes, who had previously run a time of 11.51 to finish third in her 100m heat, unfortunately could not complete the final due to her injury. In an Instagram post following the incident, she expressed deep gratitude towards Richardson and Terry for their immediate support.

"Today didn't go as I expected. Picked up an injury during my 100m final. Thanks to @canonlybeme__ and @itsshacarri, who ran to my rescue ♥️??," Forbes shared.

Despite the setback, Forbes remained optimistic about her recovery and future performances.

"For those who are reaching out, I'll be okay in the name of Jesus. I just got to do some recovery, and I'll definitely be back stronger ?? ❤️," she assured her supporters.

She concluded with an uplifting message: "Remember, pain is temporary, and scars do tell stories."

The spontaneous act of sportsmanship and camaraderie between athletes from rival nations highlighted the mutual respect and support within the track and field community. Richardson and Terry's immediate response exemplified the true spirit of sportsmanship and solidarity among athletes, transcending national rivalries in pursuit of collective support and encouragement.

Forbes' determination to recover and return stronger underscores her resilience and dedication to her athletic journey, inspiring others with her positive outlook despite the challenges faced during competition.

Jamaica’s Carey McLeod secured bronze in the men’s long jump final on day two of the World Athletics Indoor Championships, as Saturday’s morning session yielded mostly positive results for Caribbean athletes in Glasgow, Scotland.

McLeod, who just missed a medal at last year’s World Athletic Championships in Budapest, cut the sand at a new season’s best 8.21m. He placed behind Greece’s World Champion Miltiadis Tentoglou and Italy’s Mattia Furlani, who both leapt to a mark of 8.22m.

Another Jamaican, Tajay Gayle was sixth at 7.89m, while LaQuan Nairn of the Bahamas was 15th at 7.59m.

McLeod's medal is Jamaica's second at the Championship, adding to Ackeem Blake's bronze won in the men's 60m final on Friday.

On the track, St Lucia’s in-form sprinter Julien Alfred, Bahamian Anthonique Strachan, Barbadian Tristan Evelyn, as well as Jamaicans Briana Williams and Shashalee Forbes, all progressed to the women’s 60m semi-finals, after contrasting performances in their respective heats.

Alfred, 22, comfortably won her heat in 7.02s and headlines the qualifiers, as Strachan (7.24s), Williams (7.22s) and Forbes (7.17s), all placed second in their heats, while Evelyn (7.17s) was third in heat four.

Beyonce Defreitas (7.44s) of British Virgin Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye, despite a season’s best 7.26s, failed to progress, as both placed fifth in their heats.

The women’s 60m semi-final and final is scheduled for Saturday’s evening session.

Elsewhere on the track, Jamaica’s Damion Thomas and Tyler Mason, both failed to progress in the men’s 60m hurdles, after both placed sixth in their respective heats in 7.73s and 7.86s.

Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin also missed out on a spot in the women’s 800m final, following a sixth-place finish in her semi-final race. Goule-Toppin stopped the clock in 2:01.41.

Meanwhile, Ken Mullings of the Bahamas, started the men’s Heptathlon on a positive note, as he placed third in his heat of the 60m dash in a personal best 6.83s.

Mullings also registered a new lifetime best of 7.69m when he placed fifth in the long jump, and that was followed by a heave of 14.49m in the shot pot. By virtue of those performances, the 26-year-old currently occupies third position on 2684 points, behind Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer (2800 points) and Estonia’s Johannes Erm (2739 points).

They still have the high jump, 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1,000m to come.

Jamaican sprinter Shashalee Forbes followed up her 60m win at the ISTAF Indoor Dusseldorf in Germany on Sunday with a third-place finish at the ORLEN Copernicus Cup- A World Athletics Indoor Tour- Gold event in Torun, Poland on Tuesday.

Compared to the top two finishers, Poland’s Ewa Swoboda and Italy’s Zaynab Dosso, Forbes got a poor start and never really recovered, eventually finishing a distant third in 7.13.

Swoboda’s winning time was a meet record and world-leading 7.01 while Dosso ran 7.02, a personal best, in second.

Forbes’ time was her third fastest in the event this season. In addition to her 7.11 to win in Germany on Sunday, the 27-year-old ran 7.03 to win at the Queens Grace Jackson Meet at the National Stadium in Kingston on January 27.

In a dazzling display of speed and composure under pressure, Jamaica's Shashalee Forbes claimed victory in the 60m dash at the ISTAF Indoor Meeting in Dusseldorf, Germany on Sunday, continuing her stellar early-season form.

Forbes, the world championships relay silver medalist from Budapest in 2023, has been a dominant force over 60m this season, consistently proving herself as the fastest Jamaican in various conditions. Earlier in the season, she clocked 7.03 outdoors at the Queens/Grace Jackson Invitational on January 27 on the back of a strong performance of 7.14 at the Central Hurdles, Relays, and Field Events meeting a week earlier.

On Sunday, Forbes elevated her performance to new heights, setting a personal best of 7.11 in the 60m dash. N'Ketia Seedo of the Netherlands trailed in her wake with a commendable 7.15, achieving a personal best in a race in which the top four participants all recorded lifetime best performances. Germany's Alexandra Burghardt secured the final podium spot with a time of 7.20.

Expressing her excitement after the remarkable victory, Forbes revealed her eagerness for upcoming challenges. "I feel pretty great about this victory, and I am just looking for a next PB, a next run. But so far, I feel really good about this. This time, 7.11s, means a lot to me, my first time doing all this this season," she remarked.

Forbes isn't slowing down, with two more meetings lined up in Poland and New York. "I am not staying in Europe for indoors, but you guys should watch me there," she teased.

The consistent success she has enjoyed this season fuels Forbes' anticipation for the World Indoor Championships in Scotland next month. Forbes sees this event as a crucial step toward her ultimate goal of representing Jamaica at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

"Glasgow is on my roadmap. Every championship is always on my roadmap; it is another opportunity to be great. And it is also a preparation for Paris. I really hope to get the chance to represent my country in Paris," she expressed, highlighting the significance of the upcoming competitions on her calendar.

Jamaica's Christania Williams, on her comeback trail, secured the fifth position with a time of 7.30 in the intense competition.

Julien Alfred, the second-fastest woman of all-time over 60m, will take on four Olympic medallists in the short sprint at the Millrose Games – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting – in New York on 11 February.

The sprinter from St Lucia won the NCAA indoor title last year in a North American record of 6.94, just 0.02 shy of the long-standing world record. She also won the NCAA indoor 200m title in 22.01, which also moved her to second on the world indoor all-time list.

Outdoors, she went undefeated at 100m from April to August. Her first and only loss of the year came in the World Championships final, where she placed fifth. She went one better in the 200m, finishing fourth.

Alfred will take on a strong field that includes 2019 world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith. The 28-year-old holds British records for 60m, 100m and 200m, and owns eight global medals as well as seven continental medals, four of them gold.

“The Millrose Games is one of the most prestigious and historic indoor competitions in the USA, and I am looking forward to racing there for the first time,” said Asher-Smith, who recently relocated to the US. “I am really enjoying my new training set up in Austin, and I’m looking forward to a big year in 2024.”

USA’s 2016 Olympic 4x100m champion English Gardner, winner of the 60m at the Millrose Games in 2019, will also be in the line-up, so too will Jamaica’s Briana Williams, who won Olympic 4x100m gold in 2021.

World indoor bronze medallist Marybeth Sant-Price, 2023 Millrose runner-up Tamari Davis, 2016 Olympic 4x100m silver medallist Shashalee Forbes and NACAC silver medallist Celera Barnes.

Reigning double-sprint Olympic Champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah continues to show signs of a potential return to top form in 2024 after a season’s best 10.92 to win at the Gala dei Castelli, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bellinzola, Switzerland on Monday.

Thompson-Herah, who has endured a season riddled with injuries, took the win ahead of Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot (10.99), her first time below 11 seconds, and Gambia’s Gina Bass (11.12).

This was only Thompson-Herah’s second 100m race since finishing fifth at the Jamaican trials in July. She ran 11.00 for second at the Zurich Diamond League on August 31.

The 31-year-old was a member of Jamaica’s silver medal 4x100m team at the recently concluded World Championships in Budapest where she ran in the heats.

On the men’s side, Oblique Seville ran 10.01 to take the win ahead of Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (10.04) and South Africa’s Akani Simbine (10.12).

Seville narrowly missed out on a medal in Budapest, finishing fourth in 9.88, the same time credited to bronze medallist, Zharnel Hughes.

Another 100m finalist in Budapest, Ryiem Forde, was seventh in 10.28 on Monday.

Natoya Goule-Toppin rebounded from a sub-par showing in Budapest to take the 800m in 1:57.53, a new meet record.

The USA’s Addison Wiley ran a personal best 1:57.64 in second while Switzerland’s Audrey Werro ran a national record 1:58.13 in third.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who was upset by Danielle Williams in Budapest, came out on top with a meet record 12.56 in the 100m hurdles. The Netherlands’ Nadine Visser ran a season’s best 12.61 in second while the USA’s Nia Ali ran 12.63 in third.

Shashalee Forbes, a member of Jamaica's silver-medal winning 4x100m team in Budapest, ran 22.74 for second in the 200m behind the USA's Tamara Clark (22.64). Italy's Dalia Kaddari ran 22.86 for third.

Orlando Bennett ran 13.40 for third in the men’s 110m hurdles won by Switzerland’s Jason Joseph in 13.18. Senegal’s Louis Francois Mendy was second in 13.29.

In the field, 2019 World Championship silver-medallist Fedrick Dacres threw 66.19m for third in the discus behind World Champion Daniel Stahl (67.24m) and Kristjan Ceh (67.15m).

Jamaica’s Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah signalled some semblance of improvement, as she clocked a season’s best 11.00 seconds for third behind newly minted World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100m at the Wanda Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.

Thompson-Herah, who has been struggling to get back to her best after battling injury, ran a well-paced raced from a tidy break, but couldn’t get back to Richardson, who continues to display her superb form this season.

The American won in 10.88s, with another Jamaican Natasha Morrison (11.00s), running her heart out from lane one, to edge Thompson-Herah for second.

Thompson-Herah’s time bettered her previous season’s best of 11.06s, and though it is well off her personal best of 10.54s, it signals a step in the right direction since she started working with Shanikie Osbourne on a provisional basis.

Meanwhile, Shashalee Forbes (11.2s), the other Jamaican in the event, placed fifth, while Anthonique Strachan (11.39s) of the Bahamas failed to figure on this occasion, placing ninth.

It was always expected to be an almighty clash between reigning women’s 4x100m relay champions United States and Olympic champions Jamaica. In the end, it was the Americans who prevailed in the final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday.

The American quartet of Tamari Davis, Twanisha Terry, Gabrielle Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson, topped the event in a Championship record 41.03s Championship Record, ahead of their Jamaican counterparts – Natasha Morrison, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shashalee Forbes and Shericka Jackson –who ended in season’s best 41.21s.

Great Britain’s quartet of Asha Phillip, Imani Lansiquot, Bianca Williams and Daryll Neita, was third in a season’s best 41.97s.

During the event, Fraser-Pryce who has been braving a chronic knee injury, suffered what is reported to be a muscle strain, but like a warrior, pushed through the difficulty to safely hand off the baton, ensuring the country ended with a medal.

Jamaica secured their spot in the women’s 4x100m relays finals, after registering a comfortable victory in the heats, while Trinidad and Tobago missed out, at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Friday.

Running from lane two, the Jamaican quartet of Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shashalee Forbes and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce 41.70s ahead of Great Britain 42.33 and Switzerland (42.64s).

Trinidad and Tobago’s quartet of Akilah Lewis, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Reyare Thomas, who ran a blistering 9.66s on the third leg, and Leah Bertrand, placed fifth from lane eight in 42.85s.

Unfortunately, that was not good enough to progress as one of the non-automatic qualifiers on time. Those spots were taken by Netherlands (42.53s) and Poland (42.65s), who were fourth and fifth respectively in heat two.

That heat was expectedly won by United States, who progressed as the fastest qualifiers in 41.59s, ahead of Cote D’Ivoire, who achieved a new Area Record 41.90s and Italy, who finished in a National Record 42.14s.

The final will be contested tomorrow at 2:50pm Jamaica time.

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Shericka Jackson was third in the 60m dash at the Paris Indoor Meeting on Sunday.