Jamaica’s Jevaughn Powell and Trinidad & Tobago’s Leah Bertrand were among the Caribbean podium finishers at Friday’s Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville, Florida.

Powell, who took third in the 400m at both the NCAA Championships and Jamaican National Championships in June, completed his final preparation for Paris with a 20.21 clocking for second in the 200m on Friday.

American Erriyon Knighton ran 19.92 to win while another American, Robert Gregory, ran 20.33 in third.

Bertrand, fresh off her second national 100m title in June, ran 11.18 for third behind American Candice Hill and Nigerian Favour Ofili. Hill and Ofili both ran the same time of 11.07.

The upcoming Olympic Games in Paris will be the first for the 21-year-old Ohio State Junior.

Bertrand's countrywoman, Tyra Gittens, was second in the long jump with a best mark of 6.37m in the sixth and final round. The event was won by American Tionna Tobias with a massive personal best of 6.94m while countrywoman Jasmine Todd was third with 6.17m.

Bahamian Charisma Taylor, who will be competing in the 100m hurdles in Paris, finished third in the triple jump on Friday with 13.63m.

American’s Kenturah Orji and Jasmine Moore finished first and second with 14.08m and 14.06m, respectively.

Jamaica’s Skyler Franklin ran 51.01 for third in the women’s 400m behind Americans Aaliyah Butler (50.14) and Bailey Lear (50.51).

Jamaican national high jump champion Romaine Beckford warmed up for his Olympic debut in a few weeks with a win at the 2024 Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis on Thursday.

Beckford, the 22-year-old two-time NCAA Champion, produced a winning jump of 2.20m on his only attempt at the height after producing clearances at 2.10m and 2.20m.

He then had three failed attempts at 2.25m after he had done enough to secure victory ahead of American Vernon Turner (2.15m) and Bahamian Shaunie Miller Jr (2.15m).

Elsewhere in the field on Thursday, Chanice Porter produced 6.50m to finish second in the women’s long jump while Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief won the men’s triple jump.

The 30-year-old Porter, who will also be representing the nation in Paris, produced 6.50 in the sixth and final round of the competition to move up into the top three.

The competition was won by Nigerian Ruth Usoro with 6.70m while Trinidad & Tobago’s Tyra Gittens was third with 6.35m.

Perinchief produced 16.82m to win the triple jump ahead of Americans Omar Craddock (16.64m) and Chris Bernard (16.30m).

The meet continued on Friday with the track events. Newly crowned national 100m hurdles champion and record holder, Ackera Nugent, ran 11.17 to finish second in the women’s 100m behind Nigeria’s Favor Ofili (11.13). Liberia’s Maia McCoy was third in 11.32.

The women’s sprint hurdles saw Bahamian Denisha Cartwright produce 12.71 for second behind American Christina Clemons (12.61). Jamaican two-time World champion Danielle Williams ran 12.81 in third.

Ackelia Smith, the standout 2024 NCAA long and triple jump champion, is channeling the lessons learned from last year’s World Championships in Budapest as she eyes the Paris Olympic Games. After recovery from serious injury early on in the season, her recent performance at the Jamaica National Championships, where she potentially qualified for both events, underscores her steely determination.

Her achievements at the Jamaica National Championships, including winning the long jump with 6.53m and placing second in the triple jump with 14.44m, further demonstrated her ability to bounce back. Although short of the Olympic standards of 6.86m and 14.55m, Smith’s season-best performances of 6.79m (with an indoor jump of 6.85m) and 14.52m at the NCAA Championships, have earned her rankings of 21st in the long jump and 23rd in the triple jump, respectively. This means the University of Texas graduate, who recently signed a professional contract with Puma, is on track to compete in Paris.

In March, Smith faced a significant hurdle when she suffered a hamstring injury, with doctors predicting a six to eight-week recovery. Defying expectations, she returned in early May to win both the long and triple jumps at the Texas Invitational with wind-aided marks of 7.10m and 13.51m. “That injury that I had was a hamstring tear. That has definitely healed. Being in explosive events, I try to stay as technical as I can. I am not perfect but I try to be as close to it as possible and make sure I work on my recovery, and always do my treatments. You have got to take care of your body so you can come back and do that every day,” she said.

However, injury has not been her only challenge. At the Budapest World Championships in 2023, a massive leap deemed a foul prevented her from advancing to the final. Reflecting on the setback, Smith shared, “It was a big jump; it was very frustrating because as a young athlete this is your time and going in with the world lead, I really wanted to make the final. But sometimes what you plan is not what you get but it was a lesson and I have learned from it. I kind of left it late and now I know that if I am going to do it I have got to get it out of the way early.”

Balancing a rigorous training schedule with the demands of a competitive season, Smith is preparing for the challenges ahead. Drawing on her experiences from two World Championships, she and her coach have fine-tuned their training to peak at the right time. “You know, I’ve already been to two World Championships and those were later on in August after having a whole NCAA season. I use those as experience, me and my coach, and we say ‘Okay, we need to adjust training, we need to address everything else around it and the goal itself is the Olympics,’” Smith explained. “Even though we have the nationals, the NCAAs, and all that, I think my coach was like, ‘You’ve got to be ready for the Olympics.’”

As she prepares for the biggest event of her life, Smith plans to participate in more competitions to fine-tune her skills and honour her country. Her journey is not only about personal success but also about inspiring the next generation of athletes. “It’s really great but I think even better it is for the young athletes coming up because they think they have to choose one,” Smith emphasized. “Making it in both shows that you don’t have to; once you qualify you can just perform, and you can do good and you can make it in both.”

National 110m hurdles record holder Omar McLeod continued his resurgence this season with a winning effort at the Paavo Nurmi Games, a Word Athletics Continental Tour-Gold event in Turku, Finland on Tuesday.

The 2016 Olympic and 2017 World champion produced a season’s best 13.25 to win the final of the men’s sprint hurdles ahead of Belgium’s Elie Bacari (13.38) and Finland’s Elmo Lakka (13.43).

The 30-year-old earlier ran 13.29 to advance fastest from the heats.

The women’s sprint hurdles saw World Championships silver medallist Britany Anderson produce a season’s best 12.87 for sixth in the final after running 12.93 earlier in the heats.

The final was won by American World champion Nia Ali in 12.48 just ahead of Dutchwoman Nadine Visser (12.51). Ireland’s Sarah Lavin was third in 12.66.

This was McLeod’s third win in four events this season, with his previous two coming in Italy on May 15 and 19 with times of 13.37 and 13.47 at the Savona International Meeting and Lucca International Meeting, respectively.

Elsewhere, two-time World Championships triple jump silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts took the win in the women’s triple jump with a best jump of 14.17m coming in the first round of the competition.

Italy’s Dariya Derkach was second with 14.08m while Sweden’s Maja Askag was third with 14.06m.

Two-time World champion Anderson Peters threw 82.58m for fourth in the javelin throw behind India’s Neeraj Chopra (85.97m) and the Finnish pair of Toni Keranen (84.19m) and Oliver Helander (83.96m).

Cuban-born Spanish triple jumper Jordan Diaz Fortun produced a spectacular performance to win triple jump gold on day five at the European Championships in Rome on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old, who switched allegiance from Cuba to Spain in November 2022, produced a championship record and world-leading 18.18m to take gold ahead of Portugal’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo and France’s Thomas Gogois.

Diaz Fortun led the competition after the first round with a 17.56m jump before Pichardo, who also switched allegiance from Cuba in 2017, produced the world’s first 18m jump since 2021 with 18.04m to take the lead in the second round.

The Spaniard’s next two efforts were 17.82m in the second round and 17.96m in the fourth round after a third-round foul, finding himself just short of Pichardo’s mark heading into round five.

In that fifth round, he produced what is now the third-longest triple jump of all time with a breathtaking 18.18m, only trailing Christian Taylor’s 18.21m and Jonathan Edwards’s world record 18.29m.

Diaz Fortun’s jump also established a new European Championship record, eclipsing Edwards’s 17.99m set back in 1998.

Pichardo’s next three best jumps after his monstrous 18.04m in round two were 17.55m in round three, 17.47m in round five and 17.92m in round six.

Gogois produced a personal best 17.38m in the sixth round to secure the bronze medal.

Texas junior Ackelia Smith made history at the recently concluded NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships when she became the first Longhorn to ever sweep the horizontal jumps.

Smith first defended her title in the long-jump event on Thursday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon with a mark of 6.79 meters, becoming the first Texas woman to win back-to-back titles in 18 years.

Two days later, the 22-year-old won the triple-jump title with a season’s best mark of 14.52m. 

In an interview with CITIUS MAG after her win in the triple jump, Smith, who is now a three-time NCAA Champion, expressed her joy at winning the double.

“I am so happy that I could come out there and get both of them done for my team and for myself. I was a little mopey about the long jump but I got back to the triple definitely took it out there,” she said.

“When I got to the triple jump I just told myself ‘hey, we’re here to compete.’ I was trying to get a personal best and, even though I did not get that, I was pretty consistent with my jumps,” she added.

In the long jump competition, half of Smith’s six attempts were fouls and her three legal jumps were the winning 6.79m, 5.21m and 6.77m.

She had a much better and more consistent showing in the triple jump, producing four legal jumps that all cleared 14m.

Smith says the key in the triple jump was to embrace the nervousness a bit more.

“I re-evaluated what I did for the long jump and realized that I might’ve been a bit too comfortable so I went out there trying to be more anxious and keep that edge. That’s what pushed me through out there,” she said.

Smith is a part of a golden generation of young Jamaican jumpers and sees a bright future for the island nation in the discipline.

“Growing up I used to hear about Kimberly Williams then after Kimberly came Shanieka (Ricketts). I’ve been looking up to these ladies and it’s been great to see the Jamaican jumps growing, especially the triple because not many people do the triple,” she said.

“It’s good to see actual growth and I’ve seen a lot more Jamaicans competing here at the championships. I think it’s wonderful for the future. Even on the guys side, it definitely looks good for Jamaica in the jumps,” Smith added.

Her next goal is to make it onto Jamaica’s team to the Paris Olympics and, hopefully, find herself on the podium at those Games.

The Jamaican trials are set for June 27-30 at the National Stadium in Kingston.

World Under-20 record holder Jaydon Hibbert produced a world leading 17.75m to win the triple jump at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.

Hibbert opened his competition with 16.45m in the first round before going out to 17.14m in the second round, giving the National Stadium crowd a sign of things to come.

The third round saw him produce a then-meet record of 17.30m before, in round four, he produced a stadium record and world leading 17.75m to secure the victory.

O’Brien Wasome produced 16.64m for second while Jordan Scott was third with 16.06m.

“I was satisfied with the third and fourth jump of the series,” Hibbert said after the competition.

World champions Thea LaFond and Marileidy Paulino were among the winners on day two of the USATF LA Grand Prix at the UCLA Drake Stadium on Saturday.

LaFond produced 14.37m in the fifth round to win ahead of Jamaican two-time World Championship silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts (14.36m) and American Tori Franklin (13.87m).

LaFond made history in March when she became the first Dominican to win gold at a World Athletics Championships. She produced a national record 15.01m to take top spot at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

Elsewhere on Saturday, reigning World 400m champion Marileidy Paulino remained unbeaten this season with 50.27 to win ahead of World 800m champion Mary Moraa (50.56) and American Alexis Holmes (50.73).

2011 World champion Kirani James was second in the men's equivalent in a season's best 44.85 behind American 2022 World champion Michael Norman Jr who won in 44.53. Vernon Norwood was third in 44.86.

World Championship finalist and world U-20 record holder Roshawn Clarke opened his season in the 400m hurdles with a respectable 48.11 to finish second behind American Rai Benjamin who ran a world leading 46.64. World Championship silver medallist Kyron McMaster was third in 48.51.

Andrenette Knight ran a season’s best 54.69 for second in the women’s equivalent behind American Anna Cockrell who ran a season’s best of her own with 53.75. Cassandra Tate was third in 55.02.

On Friday's day one, Jamaica's Roje Stona threw 66.93m to win the men's discus ahead of Chile's Claudio Romero (64.12m) and the USA's Brian Williams (63.36m).

Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts provided her home fans with a solid performance to win the women’s triple jump at the inaugural Jamaica Athletics Invitational at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.

The two-time World Championships silver medallist produced a best jump of 14.50m on her first attempt that proved to be enough to win in the end.

American Jasmine Moore had a best jump of 14.28m for second while Dominican World Indoor Champion Thea Lafond jumped 14.22m in the sixth and final round to clinch third.

“I feel exceptional. I usually get started with my season much earlier but this year we decided to get a few things corrected before coming into competition,” Ricketts said following the competition.

“Competing with world class athletes who have been doing well indoors as well really pushed me and gave me a good implication of where I’m at this season,” she added.

The 2022 Commonwealth Champion also spoke on competing in Jamaica.

“It’s always a pleasure to compete in Kingston. Usually, I try to do a meet here before going overseas to compete in the Diamond League. The crowd has warmed up to the jumps because of how well I’ve been doing overseas over the years. I’m always grateful for the support,” she said.

Jamaica's triple jump sensation, Jaydon Hibbert, delivered a stellar performance at Sunday's USATF Bermuda Grand Prix, securing victory in the men's triple jump event with a leap of 17.33m (+4.3m/s) on his first attempt. Hibbert's remarkable achievement came using an unconventional eight-step run-up, demonstrating his exceptional skill and readiness on the field.

 The world U20 record-holder continued to impress with a jump of 17.01m (+3.4) in the third round, showcasing his consistency and form. Competing for the first time since the Budapest World Championships in 2023, Hibbert opted to forego the fourth and fifth rounds, having achieved his desired performance.

 Hibbert topped the field ahead of Bermuda's Jah-Nhai Perinchief, who reached 17.13m, and fellow Jamaican Jordan Scott, who secured third place with a jump of 17.05m.

Reflecting on his strategy and performance, Hibbert expressed satisfaction with his approach, stating, "I wanted to ease back into the jumps, so I started with an eight-step run-up today to reinforce muscle memory. I've been aiming for this personal record, especially after my last eight-step jump indoors at 16.7m last year. Now, I'm excited and looking forward to the rest of the season."

 Fans can anticipate seeing Hibbert in action next at the highly anticipated Jamaica Invitational on May 11 and the Racers Grand Prix on June 1, where he aims to continue his impressive form.

A pair of Jamaica’s representatives at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Wayne Pinnock and Ackera Nugent, were among a number of Caribbean winners at Saturday’s LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge.

Pinnock, who took long jump silver in Budapest, produced a wind-aided 8.44m (5.8 m/s) to claim victory in his first outdoor competition this season.

The 23-year-old Arkansas star, who won gold at both the SEC and NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year, opened his competition with 8.15m in the first round before producing his winning distance in the second.

He had one more jump in the third round (8.25m) before passing on his final three attempts.

Florida State’s Curtis Williams was second with 7.99m while Florida’s Malcolm Clemons was third with 7.94m. Another Jamaican, Florida State’s Jordan Turner, produced 7.84m for fourth.

The women’s long jump was won by Bahamian Florida sophomore Anthaya Charlton with a best jump of 6.74m. Arkansas’s Nia Robinson was second with 6.70m while Georgia Tech’s Ameia Wilson was third with 6.56m.

In her fourth 100m hurdles race of the young season, Ackera Nugent, who was fifth in the final in Budapest, produced 12.57 to take victory ahead of Canada’s Mariam Abdul-Rashid (12.69) and LSU’s Leah Phillips (12.71).

Nugent’s season’s best, which currently stands at 12.52, was done in a fourth-place finish at the Tom Jones Invitational on April 13.

Arkansas also prevailed in the men’s high jump through another member of Jamaica’s team at last year’s World Championships, Romaine Beckford.

Beckford, the reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor and Jamaican national champion, had a best jump of 2.23m to win ahead of Georgia’s Riyon Rankin (2.20m) and his Arkansas teammate Kason O’Riley (2.20m).

Guyana’s Natricia Hooper produced 13.92m to win the women’s triple jump ahead of Mylana Hearn (13.78m) and LSU’s Morgan Smalls (13.17m).

Arkansas’s Apalos Edwards jumped 16.43m for second in the men’s equivalent won by Air Houston’s Chris Carter (16.70m). Florida State’s Kyvon Tatham jumped 16.00m for third.

The women’s 400m saw Vincentian 800m record holder Shafiqua Maloney and reigning Jamaican national champion and Arkansas star Nickisha Pryce run 51.29 and 51.35 for second and third, respectively, behind American Alexis Holmes who ran 50.80 to win.

Jamaica’s Lashanna Graham ran 58.16 for third in the women’s 400m hurdles behind American Anna Cockrell (54.74) and Georgia’s Dominique Mustin (56.52).

Florida’s Jevaughn Powell ran 20.28 to take second in the men’s 200m behind Arkansas’s Makanakaishe Charamba who won in 20.11. Arkansas’s Lance Lang ran 20.36 in third.

Powell also represented Jamaica in Budapest, running in the heats of the 4x400m relay.

Munro College’s Chad Hendricks and JC’s Chavez Penn and Balvin Israel all secured wins on day two of the 128^th Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.

Hendricks, a silver medallist at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and the Carifta Games, threw an excellent 66.17m to take top spot in the High School Boys’ discus ahead of Bergen Catholic’s Benjamin Shue (61.55m) and Christian Brothers’ Ashton Hearn (58.42m).

Penn, who won the high jump and triple jump double at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and Carifta Games, produced 15.38m to comfortably win the triple jump ahead of Wolmer’s Boys’ Nicardo Grey-Clarke (14.52m) and Cornwall College’s Obrien Bowen (14.49m).

Israel added to his long jump gold medal at Champs with 7.24m to take top spot Friday. KC’s Nathan Wade, who took silver at Champs, was once again second with 7.09m while Calvert Hall College’s Antoine McNair Jr was third with 7.09m.

Olympic triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas has been ruled out of Paris 2024 with an Achilles tendon injury. The Venezuelan superstar jumper sustained the injury during a training session in Spain and has since undergone surgery in Madrid.

She shared the devastating news to her more than one million followers on Instagram on Friday.

"To my Venezuela, to the family of the Olympic and Sports Movement, especially to my followers; I want to inform you that I will not be able to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. With great pain and sadness I want to tell you that while training, by falling downhill from a jump, I was in intense pain that was diagnosed with an injury to my left Achilles tendon. My heart is broken and I want to say sorry that I will not be able to take part in Paris 2024," the 28-year-old said in a statement on her Instagram account.

“Today, I feel very emotionally affected by not being able to represent the team. The desire to defend my Olympic title excited me enormously but today I have to stop, understand this, recover and come back with a lot of strength to continue flying together,” she added.

Easily the most dominant female triple jumper in history, Rojas, is the current indoor and outdoor triple jump world record holder. She won gold at the Tokyo Olympics Games and is a four-time world champion, the last coming in dramatic fashion in Budapest last year. Her absence opens the door up to a number of contenders who will be gunning for their first Olympic title. Chief among them will be Jamaica's Shanieka Ricketts, Thea LaFond from Dominica as well as well as Cuba's Leyanis Perez Hernandez and the Ukraine's Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk.

Rojas expressed her anguish at not being able to defend her Olympic title.

"Today I feel emotionally affected by not being able to represent them, the desire to defend my Olympic title excited me enormously but today I have to stop, understand this, recover and come back with a lot of strength to continue flying together."

She wished the athletes representing Venezuela the best of fortunes in Paris this summer.

The 2024 CARIFTA Games has provided fourteen-year-old Belizean jumper Jaaden Williams with the opportunity of a lifetime as he has, according to reports from Belize, been offered an athletic scholarship by Jamaican track & field powerhouse, Jamaica College.

Williams, who hails from Punta Gorda, has been given the opportunity to further his education and athletic training in Jamaica, a country renowned for its track and field success.

This offer marks a significant milestone for the youngster, who expressed his surprise and optimism about the future upon his return to Belize from the games.

“The offer came out of the blue despite my performance at the Games,” Williams shared with Belizean reporters.

At the Games, Williams jumped 5.37m to finish 17^th in the Under-17 Boys long jump and 11.36m to finish 13^th in the triple jump.

Williams, who is set to start his new journey in September, also aspires to become a pilot.

Belize celebrated success at the CARIFTA Games through Demetrie Meyers’ in the 3,000 meters and Brooklyn Lyttle in the Under-17 girls’ long jump.

Meyers secured gold to add to his 1500m and 3000m gold medals from Nassau last year while Lyttle took bronze.

Jamaica’s Jamelia Young continued her excellent showing at the 51^st Carifta Games at the Kirani James Stadium in Grenada on Monday’s day three.

Young added to her gold medal in the U-17 Girls shot put on Saturday with gold in the discus throw on Monday.

Young’s winning distance was 36.80m. Bahamian Terrell McCoy, who took bronze in the shot put, finished one better this time around with 36.09m while Martinique’s Lea Retardato-Samot threw 35.73m for bronze.

Elsewhere, Jamaica’s Jaeda Robinson produced two record-breaking jumps on her way to gold in the U-17 Girls triple jump.

Robinson first broke the record of 12.61m set all the way back in 2009 by Rochelle Farqharson with a 12.66m effort with her very first attempt.

Her second attempt then saw her set another record with 12.69m, which ended up being her best jump of the evening.

Guadeloupe’s Tessa Clamy jumped 12.09m for second while Robinson’s teammate Zavien Bernard was third with 11.63m.