Ackera Nugent, Tia Clayton and Shanieka Ricketts were the three Jamaican winners at Sunday’s Wanda Diamond League meeting in the Polish city of Silesia.
Nugent, the national record holder, was the most impressive in victory as she set successive meeting records of 12.30 seconds and 12.29 seconds in the heats and final of the 100m hurdles.
Her 12.29 clocking to win the final was just off her personal best of 12.28 seconds set earlier this year. Nugent was atoning for a poor showing in the Olympic final in Paris where, after entering the Games with a world-leading time and as one of the pre-race favourites, she crashed out of the final after hitting several hurdles.
Grace Stark of the United States was second in 12.37 seconds, with Jamaica’s double world champion Danielle Williams third in 12.38 seconds. Masai Russell of the United States, the Olympic champion was fourth in 12.40 seconds.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Clayton was winning her first Diamond League race on her second attempt; she crossed the line in a wind-aided 10.83 seconds.
The win was a massive improvement on her fifth-place finish in her debut race at the Lausanne Diamond League last Thursday. Clayton, who trains at the Papine, St Andrew-based MVP Track and Field Club, was credited with the same time as Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou. The American, Tamari Davis, finished third in 10.84 seconds in what was a near blanket finish.
Clayton, who finished seventh in the Olympic final in Paris, said after Sunday’s race that after the Olympics she had trained even harder than before.
The other Jamaican in the race, Natasha Morrison finished ninth in 11.07 seconds.
The Olympic silver medallist, Ricketts, won the women’s triple jump with 14.50m, from Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez on 14.42m and Dariya Derkach of Italy on 14.02m. The other Jamaican, Ackelia Smith was fifth with 13.78m.
Meanwhile, three days after losing his first post-Olympic race to Rasheed Broadbell, Olympic champion Grant Holloway had his revenge, but only just, as he crossed in 13.04 seconds with the fast-finishing Jamaican taking second place by 0.01 in a season’s best 13.05 seconds. Orlando Bennett was fifth in 13.35 seconds.
He didn’t win but Romaine Beckford set a new personal best of 2.29m for second place in the men’s high jump. THe Jamaican’s previous best mark was 2.27m. The event went to the joint former Olympic champion from Tokyo, Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi who cleared the bar at 2.31m. Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine was third also with 2.29m.
Rushell Clayton finished third in the women’s 400m hurdles, crossing the line in 53.11 seconds with her fellow Jamaicans – Shiann Salmon finishing fourth in 53.15 seconds, Janieve Russell fifth in 53.59 seconds and Andrenette Knight sixth in a season’s best 53.68 seconds.
The race was won by Netherland’s Femke Bol in a new meet record of 52.13 seconds, with the American Anna Cockrell coming home second in 52.88 seconds.
On the men’s side, Roshawn Clarke finished fourth in the 400m hurdles in 47.74 seconds and Jaheel Hyde ninth in 50.57 seconds.
Rajindra Campbell, the bronze medallist from the Paris Olympics was eighth in the men’s shot put with a best mark of 20.78m.
