Matthew Quine
Three of the world's biggest sprint superstars will kickstart their 2024 Wanda Diamond League campaigns in the men's 100m at the second meeting of the season in Suzhou on April 27th.
US stars Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman and Jamaican legend Yohan Blake will go head to head in China, in the first men's 100m race of the campaign.
Each has won a world championship over the distance, while Coleman is the reigning 100m Wanda Diamond League champion thanks to his victory over Noah Lyles in Eugene last September.
2021 Wanda Diamond League champion Kerley dominated the 100m in 2021 and 2022, winning the World Championships title in Eugene and taking silver in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Kerley: “I am excited to come back to China in April. 2024 is a very important year with the Olympic Games taking place in Paris in August and it will be great to start my Diamond League season in China.”
The American has fond memories from Shanghai, having won the Diamond League 400m event there in 2019.
Following his title win last year, Coleman has started his 2024 season brightly, taking his second world indoor 60m victory in Glasgow. He is the world record holder over that distance and, alongside Kerley, shares the sixth fastest 100m time of all-time in 9.76s. The pair also formed half the USA quartet that took 4x100m world gold in Budapest last summer.
Coleman: “I’m excited about coming to China to compete again. Last time I was there they showed a lot of love and support and I was able to pull out my best performance of the year in front of a great crowd. I’m looking forward to opening my season with another great performance in China and starting my Olympic campaign off on a great note.”
Few athletes in history have been as good for as long as two-time Olympic and world champion Blake. The 35-year-old claimed his first Diamond League victory back in 2011 and has held the 100m and 200m Diamond League records for more than a decade.
In 2011, the year he became the youngest athlete ever to win a world 100m title in Daegu, Blake clocked 19.26 in Brussels in the 200m. A year later, he cruised to 9.69 in Lausanne, a time which only former-training partner Usain Bolt has ever bettered over 100m.
Blake: “Suzhou, I will be there to run on April 27. It’s going to be my first time in Suzhou, I am looking forward! It’s going to be fun and you don’t want to miss it. Come and enjoy a wonderful show.”
The trio boast in total six Diamond League titles, with Coleman having also taken the 100m crown in 2018, Kerley the 2021 edition of the same distance, as well as the 400m win in 2018.
They join a star-studded line-up in Suzhou, with major names in other events including Mondo Duplantis and Mutaz Barshim.
The Wanda Diamond League is the premier one-day meeting series in athletics. It comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field. Athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on 13th-14th September.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce parts ways with Coach Walcott, to battle on in 2025 with new team
Five-time 100m world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is set to continue her illustrious track career for yet another season, despite facing significant injury challenges throughout 2024.
However, the sprinting legend will reportedly do so under new guidance. Sportsmax.TV understands that Fraser-Pryce will be leaving Reynaldo Walcott, the coach she helped establish at Elite Performance Track Club.
Fraser-Pryce, who has been hampered by a persistent knee injury over the past few seasons, made the decision to move on after a reportedly frosty relationship developed between her and Walcott during the 2024 season. Calls and a Whatsapp message to Coach Walcott went unanswered.
Though her next coaching destination remains unclear, Sportsmax understands that the two-time Olympic 100m gold medalist has moved to put together a team to guide her through the upcoming season.
The name of Andre Wellington has surfaced as the person who will be among Fraser-Pryce’s new coaching outfit. Wellington has coached World U20 100m silver medalist Bouwahghie Nkrumie at Kingston College (KC). He was a member of the Racers Track Club between 2011 and 2012.
Fraser-Pryce had been a founding member of Elite Performance Track Club, partnering with Walcott in early 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his guidance, The 37-year-old sprint queen achieved remarkable success, notably lowering her personal best from 10.70 to 10.60 seconds. In 2022, she became the first woman to run sub-10.7 seconds on seven occasions in a single season and secured her fifth 100m world title in Eugene, Oregon.
However, since that stellar 2022 season, injuries have taken their toll on the Jamaican icon. In 2023, at the World Championships in Budapest, Fraser-Pryce finished third in the 100m, a notable drop from her dominant form the previous year. Her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was further curtailed, as she withdrew from the semi-finals for reasons that remain undisclosed.
Fraser-Pryce’s decision to continue competing, despite these setbacks, underscores her determination to finish her career on her own terms.
As the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic 100m title in Beijing 2008, she has remained a dominant force in global athletics for over a decade. Now, with a fresh team in her corner, the sprinting icon is focused on overcoming the injuries that have plagued her and making yet another remarkable run in 2025.
The news, if confirmed, followed a recent development this wherein Olympic 110m bronze medalist Rasheed Broadbell has also left Elite Performance for the MVP Track Club.
STATHS Class of 1978 and Friends to spotlight school's sports legends in webathon for new medical and counselling centre
The St. Andrew Technical High School graduating class of 1978, along with friends, are joining forces to stage a web-a-thon aimed at raising funds for the construction of a state-of-the-art Medical Counselling and Intervention Centre at the Kingston-based school. The initiative, led by sports agent Claude Bryan as chairman of the project, is a vital step in modernizing the school's outdated sick bay and providing essential health and counselling services for its students.
Operating under the banner STATHS 78 and Friends Incorporated, the group consists of graduates from 1978 and non-78 graduates who have come together with a shared goal of improving the school's infrastructure. The primary objective is to replace the existing sick bay, which has remained unchanged since the school's inception, with a modern facility that meets 21st-century standards, including incorporating green technology like solar energy.
“The reason behind it is that the sick bay that was there, I was told, has been the same since the school started. It’s still the same dimensions with only limited bed space, so we wanted to do something that would benefit the entire student body,” said Bryan.
To kick off their fundraising efforts, the group will host a three-hour webathon on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 6-9 pm. The event will take on a sporting flavor, highlighting the lives and achievements of 16 sporting legends who attended STATHS. Among these legends are the late Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Richard "Danny Germs" Austin, Olympian Mike Fray, and Reggae Boy Jeadine White. In addition to the tributes, there will also be musical performances throughout the evening.
Bryan emphasized the importance of the event, encouraging people to tune in and support the cause. “It’s our first major fundraising thrust, and we’re encouraging folks to call in or log in, listen, learn, and support the event.”
Supporters can participate in the event by logging in at https://givebutter.com/Z3RPbW. The funds raised will help bring the much-needed medical, counselling, and intervention centre to life, ensuring that future generations of students at St. Andrew High School benefit from improved health and well-being services.
With the backing of STATHS 78 and Friends Incorporated, the school community is hopeful that this initiative will be the first of many steps in ensuring that their students are provided with the best possible care in a modern, sustainable facility.
Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith ties knot with partner Antonia Tyson
British sprinter Matthew Hudson-Smith tied the knot with partner Antonia Tyson in Birmingham over the weekend.
Hudson-Smith and Tyson, a health care worker, got engaged back in 2023.
Guests at the weekend’s festivities included six-time World champion Noah Lyles, World Championship relay medallist and girlfriend of Lyles, Junelle Bromfield, 2019 World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, former World U-20 100m champion Adam Gemili and World and Olympic heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
The 29-year-old Hudson-Smith set a British record 43.44 to take 400m silver at the Paris Olympics in August behind American Quincy Hall.
This came a year after Hudson-Smith won silver at the World Championships in Budapest behind Jamaican Antonio Watson.
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