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).

Jamaicans Sean Bailey, Ackeem Blake and the Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino all achieved lifetime bests to come out on top in their respective events on day two of the 2023 USATF LA Grand Prix at the UCLA Drake Stadium in California on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Bailey, younger brother of Olympic and World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, produced a career-best 44.43 to chase down Grenadian Olympic and World Champion, Kirani James, who had about a five-meter lead over Bailey heading into the final 100m of the race.

James’s time in second was a season’s best 44.50 while Quincy Hall was third in 45.09.

Paulino, the Olympic and World Championship silver medallist, produced a new national record and world leading 48.98 to win ahead of Salwa Eid Nasser (50.27) and Lynna Irby Jackson (50.38).

Puerto Rican defending Olympic Champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran a world leading 12.31 to win the 100m hurdles ahead of Americans Keni Harrison (12.35) and Tia Jones (12.50).

Trinidadian World Indoor 400m Champion and Commonwealth Games 200m Champion, Jereem Richards, ran a season’s best 20.08 for second in the 200m behind Terrance Laird (20.06). Elijah Morrow was third in 20.22.

Moving to the 100m, Ackeem Blake produced a big personal best 9.89 to get a win over Americans Cravont Charleston (9.91) and Christian Coleman (9.91).

American Morolake Akinosun capitalized on the absence of both Sha’Carri Richardson and Marie- Josee Ta Lou from the Women’s equivalent to win in 10.97 ahead of countrywoman Melissa Jefferson (11.07) and Jamaican Junior Alana Reid (11.08).

In the field, 2019 World Championships silver medallist, Danniel Thomas-Dodd, produced a new personal best and national record 19.77m for third in the Women’s shot put. The event was won by the USA’s Maggie Ewen in a personal best and world leading 20.45m ahead of her teammate, Chase Ealy (19.98m).

Two-time World Champion Anderson Peters, won the javelin in 83.16m ahead of Curtis Thompson (75.27m) and Caspers Williamson (75.02m)

Jamaicans Traves Smikle and Fedrick Dacres finished first and second in the men’s discus throw on day one of the 2023 USATF LA Grand Prix at the UCLA Drake Stadium in California on Friday.

Smikle produced a consistent series with his two best throws coming in the first and sixth rounds.

The first round saw him produce a 65.26m, which would have been good enough to win, before five rounds later he threw the discus 67.07m.

Dacres, the 2019 World Championship silver medallist, was in third after four rounds with a best throw of 63.30m. After a foul in the fifth round, he produced a 64.51m effort in the final round to secure second place.

Samoa’s Alex Rose was third with a best throw of 64.03m.