Yohan Blake equalled his season’s best 10.01 seconds (0.2m/s) to win the men’s 100m at the True Athletes Classics, a World Athletics Continental Tour – Bronze Meeting in Leverkusen, Germany on Saturday, July 29, 2023. (PHOTO: File).
Yohan Blake, the 2011 world 100m champion, along with fellow Jamaicans Briana Williams and Shanieka Ricketts emerged victorious at the True Athletes Classics, a World Athletics Continental Tour – Bronze Meeting, held on Saturday in Leverkusen, Germany.
The 33-year-old Blake matched his season’s best with a time of 10.01 seconds (0.2m/s) to claim first place in the men’s 100m. He displayed a strong finish, overtaking the fast-starting Jeremiah Azu of Great Britain to secure his second win in the last three races. Azu settled for second place with a time of 10.07, while Nigeria’s Seye Ogunlewe took third with 10.17 seconds.
During the first round, Blake won his heat with a time of 10.07 seconds (-0.6m/s). However, he may miss the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary due to a false start at the Jamaica trials earlier this month.
In the women’s 100m competition, Williams triumphed over Bree Masters of Australia, finishing in 11.38 seconds (-0.3m/s). Masters closely followed with a time of 11.39 seconds, and Germany’s Lisa Marie Kwayie secured the third spot with 11.53 seconds. Williams had earlier qualified for the final by winning her heat in 11.46 seconds (-0.5m/s).
The women’s triple jump witnessed a dominating performance by national champion Ricketts, who secured victory with a jump of 14.52m (-0.4m/s).
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist produced her best effort on her second attempt but would have won with any of her four legal jumps. She finished comfortably ahead of Germany’s Maria Purtsa, who took second place with a jump of 13.69m (-0.1m/s).
Ricketts’ compatriot Kimberly Williams secured the third position with a jump of 13.58m (-0.5m/s).
