Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
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.
Sherfane Rutherford’s heroics played a significant role in helping the Desert Vipers make their first-ever appearance in an ILT20 final on Wednesday.
After suffering a painful hamstring injury that forced him to leave the field, the Guyanese batsman returned to rescue his team smashing 37 off 19 deliveries including three consecutive sixes off David Wiese.
His heroics would help propel Desert Vipers to 178-7, which proved to be enough as the Vipers dismissed Gulf Giants for 159 in 19.4 overs.
During an interview on the Vipers Voices Podcast afterwards, Rutherford said he knew it was going to be his last game but he wanted to make an impact on the game and help his team.
“It was my idea (to go back out and bat). When I went in (after being injured), I asked my physio if I could go back and bat. He said no and that it was better I just relax,” he explained.
“I told him I could do it, and then he said he was going to discuss it with the coach. At that time Tom Moody was passing by and he said, ‘If he (Rutherford) wants to bat, let us trust him.’ I also knew it was going to be my last game (in the tournament) and I wanted to give it my all, and hopefully I could make an impact for the team.”
After arriving at the crease, he revealed his intentions to Tom Curran, his partner with whom he put on 52 runs which ultimately changed the direction of the match.
“I knew I could not run, so I said (to Tom Curran) that I was going to try and get boundaries. So, I think that’s where we won the game,” Rutherford said.
Britney Anderson and Adelle Tracey had third-place finishes at the World Indoor Tour Gold 2023 Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland on Wednesday.
In a match seemingly headed for a draw, Raymon Reifer and Jermaine Blackwood each scored 50s as the West Indies declared their second innings on 203-5 on Wednesday’s final day of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
Jamaican Olympian Jonielle Smith won her 60m season opener at the 2023 Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational in Boston on Saturday.
West Indies Women lost their ICC Women’s World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand by 32 runs in Cape Town on Monday.
Chasing 123-5 made by the Kiwis, the West Indies limped to 91-7 in their 20 overs.
Maddy Green top scored for New Zealand with 47 from 37 balls after her team had slipped to 32-3 in the seventh over. Suzie Bates and Green added 26 for the fourth wicket before the former was dismissed for 30.
Green and Brooke Halliday then added 56 for the fifth that took the score to 114 when Halliday was run out for 24 in the 20th over.
Green added the remaining runs before the innings closed.
Captain Hayley Matthews was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 1-6 from her two overs. There was also a wicket each for Chinelle Henry, Karishman Ramharack and Shakera Selman.
As has become the norm in recent matches, the West Indies lost wickets early and were 25-3 in the eighth over.
Matthews had scored 15 of the West Indies’ 20 runs before she was dismissed.
Shemaine Campbelle top scored with 26 and Chinelle Henry with 23 were the only batters into double figures as they put on 51 for the fourth wicket.
Amelia Kerr who accounted for Henry’s wicket finished with figures of 3-20 from her four overs as the Caribbean women slumped to defeat.
This was the West Indies Women’s 13th loss in 14 matches since their last win which came against New Zealand in September 2022.
West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul broke a long-standing record for Test opening partnerships on Monday’s third day of the first Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo as the West Indies went to lunch on 374-2.
Resuming from their overnight score of 221-0 with Brathwaite on 116 and Chanderpaul on 101, the pair took their opening partnership to 336 before Brathwaite was trapped leg before wicket to Wellington Masakadza for 182. The score broke the record for the best-ever West Indies opening partnership of 298 by the West Indies iconic opening pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes that was made against England in 1990.
They also became the first opening pair to bat in excess of 100 overs in an innings in the 21st century only the second opening pair to face over 600 deliveries in a Test innings, falling just short of the record held by Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya, who had played 114.2 overs against Pakistan.
It is also the ninth-highest opening partnership in Test cricket history and the first time that both West Indies openers have gone past 150 in the same innings.
Brathwaite’s marathon knock lasted 312 balls and included 18 fours.
In a bid to accelerate the scoring rate, Kyle Mayers, who replaced Brathwaite scored 20 from 24 balls in a partnership of 37 with Chanderpaul before was bowled by Brandon Mavuta with the score at 373.
Dropped at deep backward square leg on 150, Chanderpaul remains unbeaten on 161 with Raymon Reifer on one at the other end.
Masakadza has so far taken 1-53 from 22 overs while Mavuda has figures of 1-99 from the 32 overs he has bowled so far.
Leading 2-0 from Day 1 of their Davis Cup Group II tie, Jamaica went on to win contest 3-2 at the Eric Bell National Tennis Centre in Kingston on Sunday.
After Rowland Phillips won his match over Krisjtian Tamm 6-1, 6-1 and Blaise Bicknell defeated Kenneth Raisma 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 on Saturday, the Estonian doubles team of Raisma and Jurgen Zopp pulled one back on Sunday when they defeated John Chin and Daniel Azar in straight sets 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday.
However, things took a turn for the worst for the visitors in match four when Blaise Bicknell defeated Tamm by default to hand Jamaica an unassailable lead.
Blaise Bicknell won his tie-breaker against Tamm, who hit the centre-line judge out of frustration and picking up a default as a result effectively handing the Jamaicans the match.
The visiting team won some consolation when Johannes Seaman defeated Jacob Bicknell 6-1, 6-0 to end the tie 3-2 in favour of the Jamaicans.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored his maiden Test century and Captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored his 12th as the West Indies closed another rain shortened second day in the first Test against Zimbabwe on 221-0 at Bulawayo.
The West Indies had resumed from their overnight score of 112-0 with both batsmen on 55.
In the 48 overs possible on Sunday because of a wet outfield caused by heavy downpour on Saturday, the 26-year-old Chanderpaul, playing in only his third Test, progressed to score 101 not out.
His 100 came up off 296 balls and included 10 fours and a six. It was the first time since 2013 that a West Indies opener other than Brathwaite had scored a Test century.
Brathwaite, meanwhile, had scored yet another century to be unbeaten on 116. His ton that included only seven fours came from 226 balls.
The 221-run opening stand marked the first time West Indies has put on a double-century opening partnership since 2012 and was just the 10th double century opening partnership in West Indies history and the seventh pair to do so.
The partnership was also the highest ever opening stand against Zimbabwe.
The 150-run stand came up in 67.2 overs while the 200-run partnership was achieved in 83.2 overs.
It seems as if Julien Alfred sets a new personal best and national record every week.
On January 21, the 21-year-old St Lucian clocked 7.05 and then 7.02, then world-leading times at the Martin Luther King Invitational in New Mexico.
She then set a new personal best and national record of 22.56 over 200m, also in New Mexico on Friday, February 3 at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
A day later, on Saturday, she blazed to a new 60m record lowering her own mark to 7.00, the second fastest time in the world this year behind Aleia Hobbs’ 6.98.
The Texas Longhorn senior was miles ahead of Samira Mood of the University of Southern California (USC) who ran a creditable 7.19 and LSU Junior Favour Ofili 7.21.
Aldred’s Texas teammate Kevona Davis was fourth in 7.22.
Several other Caribbean athletes excelled at the two-day meet that began on Friday.
Lamara Distin, the NCAA champion established a new Jamaica national indoor record of 1.94m to easily take gold on Friday. Her Texas A&M teammate Bara Sajdokavic took the runner-up spot with her clearance of 1.87m.
LSU’s Morgan Small was third with 1.81m.
Wayne Pinnock, who transferred from Tennessee to Arkansas during the summer, was an easy winner of the Men’s Long Jump soaring out to a mark of 8.10m.
Kelsey Daniel of New Mexico Junior College was next best with his effort of 7.99m while Texas freshman Solomon Washington was third with 7.85m.
World U20 champion Jaydon Hibbert, a freshman at the University of Arkansas, demonstrated his class with two jumps of 16.73m to win the triple jump competition.
His nearest rival was Russell Robinson of Miami, who leapt out to 16.33m. LSU’s Apalos Edwards secured third place with his best effort of 16.13m.
Texas Longhorn Ackelia Smith of Jamaica produced a mark of 13.92m to win the women’s event ahead of Texas Christian University’s Grace Anigbata (13.24m) and Miami’s Ashley Moore (12.97m).
Meanwhile, Omar McLeod, who was returned to Arkansas to train after failed campaigns over the past two seasons, finished second in the 60m hurdles.
The 2016 Olympic champion clocked 7.61 behind USC’s Omotade Ojora, who ran 7.58 for the win. Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean was third in 7.62,
Demisha Roswell had to settle for second place in the women’s event in a close battle with LSU Junior Leah Phillips, who won in 8.02.
The Texas Tech senior crossed the line in 8.03.
Wisconsin’s Destiny Huven was third in 8.08.
Devynne Charlton was the only Caribbean athlete to win an event but several others were on the podium at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at The Track at New Balance in Boston on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Bahamian, who won silver at the 2022 World Indoor Championships, clocked a season-best 7.87 whole holding off the challenge of Sharika Nelvis of the USA (7.93) and Celeste Mucci of Australia, who ran a personal best of 7.95.
Jamaica’s Danielle Williams ran 7.97 for fourth in the keenly contested battle for the minor place.
Meanwhile, 2022 World Indoor 400m champion Jereem Richards was nipped on the line by Noah Williams of the USA in a tight three-way finish.
The Trinidadian led most of the way but tightened up over the last 50m when Williams jumped at the chance to get past him on the inside to take the race by 0.04s.
Both were given the same time of 45.88. However, on closer inspection, Williams clocked 45.876 to Richards’ 45.880.
Vernon Norwood finished third in 45.92.
Jamaican’s Leah Anderson and Janieve Russell finished second and third, respectively, in the Women’s 500m in which Fembke Bol unleashed a new world’s best performance.
The Dutch athlete, who won silver in the 400m hurdles in Oregon in 2022, demonstrated superior speed and strength to pull away from the field and win in 1:05.63 to become the first woman to run faster than 1:06.00 in the event.
It was a new personal best, national record and world record.
Anderson made a late surge to get by Russell in the final stages to establish a new Jamaican national record of 1:08.34.
Russell, the now two-time Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles champion, faded to third in 1:09.18.
The Women’s 60m dash was billed as a clash between World 200m champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and World and Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Somebody forgot about Aleia Hobbs, who just last week ran 6.98 over 60m, tied for the ninth fastest time ever with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
But while both Jackson and McLaughlin-Levrone failed to make the final finishing fifth in the respective heats, Hobbs dominated the field to take the final in 7.02 ahead of training partner Mikiah Brisco, who ran a season best 7.10.
Celera Barnes ran 7.21 for third in the American sweep.
Noah Lyles edged Trayvon Brommel by the smallest of margins to win the men’s event in a personal best 6.51 (6.507). Brommel 6.51 (6.509) took the runner-up spot.
Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati clocked 6.62 for third.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo will not be defending her 400m title at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest in August. She will also not be running the 200m because she is going to be a mommy!
Elaine Thompson-Herah made her indoor debut in Norway at the 2023 Karsten Warholm Invitational on Thursday, winning the Women’s 60m dash in a relatively pedestrian 7.30.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games 100 and 200m champion had made her season debut at the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Invitational last weekend, running 7.15 for an outdoor 60m run.
In Norway, Thompson-Herah took some time to get going but hit her stride about 20m from the tape and eased to victory over Helene Renningen, who crossed the line in 7.40.
Ukraine’s Viktoriya Ratnikova was third in 7.53.
Warholm impressed his home fans with an fast 45.31 run to win the 400m just 0.3 off his personal best time. His compatriot Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen was more than 1.5 seconds behind in 46.94 just edging out fellow Norwegian Andreas Grimerud, who clocked 46.99 for third.
Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel and Gudakesh Motie each took two wickets for the West Indies who bowled out the Zimbabwe XI for 122 on Monday to establish a lead of 395 runs on first innings in their tour match in Bulawayo.
Batting a second time the West Indies were at the time of writing 18-1, a lead of 413. Raymon Reifer was the batter out for just one.
In response to the West Indies’ first innings score of 517, Zimbabwe XI, resuming from their overnight score of 52-5, added 70 more for the loss of their remaining five wickets.
Timycen Maruma, who was on 15 overnight was eventually dismissed by Motie for 37 while Milton Shumba, who was on nine added only four before he was bowled by Gabriel for 13.
Tafadzwa Tsiga scored an unbeaten 21 and number-11 batter Faraz Akram added 19 managing to get the score past 100 after Zimbabwe XI had slumped to 87-9.
Joseph took 2-12, while Motie returned figures of 2-24. Gabriel, who is returning from an extended break because of injury, finished with 2-21.
The match concludes on Tuesday.
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