Carifta Under-17 Girls 100m and 200m silver medallist, Naomi London, wants to help put her country on the track & field map.

The 16-year-old St. Lucian sprinter has enjoyed an excellent season, so far, with her best results coming at the 50^th Carifta Games held from April 7-9 at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, The Bahamas.

The Vieux-Fort native first ran 11.72 to claim silver in the 100m, her country’s first ever sprint medal at the Caribbean junior showcase.

The Vieux-Fort Comprehensive Secondary School attendee then produced 23.72 for silver in the 200.

“I went out there to get the gold but God gave me the silver so my Carifta season went pretty well. I executed my race as planned and I got on the podium,” London said on the latest edition of In Case You Missed It hosted by Mariah Ramharack on SportsMax.TV

“It felt great that I had some competition in the race. I was competing with some of the best and I pulled through to get on that podium so, right now, I feel great about myself,” she added.

After her Carifta exploits, London said she returned home to a celebration.

“Oh my gosh! A lot of celebration happened. When I got home, everybody was around and just cheering ‘Naomi London! Naomi London!’ It was so much support. I love the fact that my community supports me no matter what I do,” she said.

Although happy with her silver medals, London expressed her desire to one day upgrade to gold.

“It would be a life-changer for me and for my country,” she said. “Gold is many, many more than silver.”

London also does well in the classroom and credits good time-management skills and sacrifice for that.

“I prioritize my work and I do have good time-management skills. After I come home from training, I will sacrifice the time to go study or do an assignment,” she said.

Her next quest on the track will be at the Commonwealth Youth Games set for August 4-11 in Trinidad & Tobago.

“One of my goals is to medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games and my second goal is to run a personal best at any meet that I attend,” London said.

To date, St. Lucia’s greatest export on the track is current University of Texas star and Commonwealth Games 100m silver medallist Julien Alfred, someone London says she looks up to.

“Julien Alfred is one of my inspirations from young. Me and her grew up in the same field in track and field. She used to run in the higher division and I used to always look out for her and we used to talk about all the races. I’m very proud of her achievements,” she said.

“I would say the success of the St Lucian athletes is making the young athletes want to do more and want to go out there to represent their country. I think track is a great sport and St Lucia has a lot of talent. We can go out there, do our best and put our country on the map,” London added.

Texas’s Julien Alfred will have a chance to defend her NCAA Outdoor 100m title after securing her spot in the field on the final day of the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento on Saturday.

The 21-year-old St. Lucian, who won the NCAA Indoor 60m and 200m double earlier this season, sped to a meet record and collegiate leading time of 10.83 to comfortably be the fastest qualifier to the Championships set for June 7-10 on her home track at the University of Texas's Mike A. Myers stadium.

Her Jamaican teammate, Kevona Davis, also made it through the preliminaries with an 11.06 effort.

The Texas duo also made it through in the 200m with Davis running a season’s best 22.33 and Alfred running 22.45.

Arkansas’s Ackera Nugent, a two-time NCAA Indoor Champion, ran 12.69, a new meet record to advance fastest in the sprint hurdles. Her countrywoman, Texas Tech’s Demisha Roswell, also made it through with a season’s best 12.77.

Arkansas’s Nickisha Price and Joanne Reid both advanced in the one-lap event with personal best times of 50.49 and 51.49, respectively.

In the field, defending NCAA high jump champion, Lamara Distin of Texas A&M, easily cleared 1.85m to secure her opportunity to defend her title. Texas’s Ackelia Smith, world leader in the long jump, also booked her spot in the field for the triple jump with 13.96m.

Meanwhile, at the East Regionals in Jacksonville, Ohio State’s Yanique Dayle and Kentucky’s Anthaya Charlton made it through in the 100m.

Dayle, the Jamaican Senior, produced a big personal best 11.05 while Charlton, the Bahamian Freshman, produced 11.08 (2.3 m/s) to advance.

Dayle also advanced in the 200m with a season’s best 22.58 while LSU’s Brianna Lyston also made it through with 22.92.

In the field, Georgia’s Vincentian Junior, Mikeisha Welcome, jumped 13.50m to make it through in the triple jump.

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)

Minnesota’s Kion Benjamin ran a swift 10.18 to win the 100m title at the Big 10 Championships on Sunday in Bloomington, Indiana.

The 22-year-old Trinidadian secured first place ahead of Wisconsin’s Lawrence Johnson (10.22) and his Minnesota teammate and fellow Trinidadian, Carlon Hosten (10.22).

Jamaican Ohio State senior Yanique Dayle was third in the Women’s equivalent in 11.19. The event was taken by her teammate Leah Bertrand in 11.15 while Minnesota’s Amira Young ran 11.15 for second.

Dayle went two better in the 200m, running 22.87 to win ahead of Michigan’s Ziyah Holman (23.08) while 100m runner-up Young was third in 23.09.

Minnesota’s 19-year-old Trinidadian sophomore, Devin Augustine, ran 20.45 for third in the Men’s equivalent behind Iowa’s Austin Kresley (20.26) and 100m third-place finisher Carlon Hosten (20.43).

Jamaican Ohio State sophomore, Zidane Brown, ran 45.75 for second in the Men’s 400m behind Iowa’s Jenoah Mckiver (45.59). Michigan’s Dubem Amene ran 46.20 for third.

In the field, Nebraska’s Lotavia Brown took the Women’s triple jump in 13.33m ahead of Ohio State’s Jaimie Robinson (13.24m) and Michigan’s Riley Ammenhauser (13.07m)

Texas’s Ackelia Smith continued her excellent 2023 season with a personal best 7.08m for victory at the 2023 Big 12 Outdoor Championships at John Jacobs Field in Oklahoma on Saturday.

The 21-year-old had jumps of 6.74m and 6.61m in the first two rounds before jumping out to her massive new personal best and world leading jump in the third. She subsequently passed on her next three jumps.

Oklahoma’s Pippi Lotta Enok produced 6.65m for second while Kansas State’s Shalom Olotu jumped 6.41 for third.

On the track, St. Lucians had an excellent day. First, Kansas’s Michael Joseph ran a personal best 44.77 to advance fastest into the men’s 400m final. Texas’s Jonathan Jones also advanced to the final with 45.70.

Then, Texas’s 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Julien Alfred, produced 10.74, albeit with a 3.4m/s wind, to advance fastest to the women’s 100m final.

Texas also had the second and third fastest qualifiers to the women’s 100m final through Kevona Davis (10.93) and Ezinne Abba (10.93).

Bahamian Terrence Jones ran 10.35 to advance third fastest in the men’s equivalent.

The 100m hurdles saw Jamaican Texas Tech senior Demisha Roswell advance fastest with 12.92.

Roswell’s Bahamian Texas Tech teammate, Antoine Andrews, ran 13.57 to advance in the men’s 110m hurdles.

Jamaican Arkansas junior Wayne Pinnock produced a personal best 8.37m to successfully defend his South East Conference (SEC) Championship long jump title at Louisiana State University (LSU) on Friday.

The 22-year-old, who jumped 8.05 to win the SEC title last year, also produced jumps of 8.15m and 8.02m in his series on Friday. His winning jump puts him number two in the world currently behind India’s Jeswin Aldrin (8.42m) and is the World Championships qualifying standard.

Pinnock’s countryman and Arkansas teammate, Carey McLeod, produced 8.14m for second while Mississippi State’s Cameron Crump was third with a best jump of 8.00m.

Bahamian Kentucky freshman Anthaya Charlton produced a personal best 6.74m for second in the women’s equivalent behind Florida star Jasmine Moore, who jumped 6.88 for victory. Moore’s teammate, Claire Bryant, was third with 6.68m.

On the track, Arkansas’s Ackera Nugent advanced to the finals of both the 100m and 100m hurdles.

The Jamaican ran 12.49 to advance third fastest in the 100m hurdles and returned to run 11.16 to advance third fastest in the 100m.

Anthaya Charlton, the runner-up in the long jump, produced another personal best, 11.11, to advance to the 100m final as well. Tennessee’s Jacious Sears advanced fastest with 11.08.

Fresh off winning her first-ever Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award on Monday, five-time world 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce arrived in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday eager to get her season going at the Kip Keino Classic this coming weekend.

The two-time Olympic 100m gold medallist was slated to begin her season at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 29, but withdrew citing a ‘family emergency’, the details of which remain a mystery. However, with the emergency hopefully behind her, the 36-year-old track and field star, said she keen on seeing where she is at this season.

“I am just looking forward to just competing well. I have not run since September last year and it’s a different year so you kind of want to see where you’re at as opposed to last year when I ran a 200m in Kingston before I came here; this time I didn’t run anything so this is me just coming to see where I’m at and having a good time and execute and I am sure it will be fantastic,” said Fraser-Pryce who ran a world-leading 10.67 at the 2022 edition.

Fraser-Pryce, who at 35 won her fifth world 100m title in Eugene, Oregon last summer to become the oldest female ever to win a global sprint title, said she believes she in great shape heading into the meet on Saturday but was quick to temper expectations on what she will deliver on Saturday.

“I am feeling good, to be honest, I’m feeling 21, which is good,” she joked, “but no two years are ever the same so you continue to work and trust that whatever things that you correct in training or things that you are working on that you would come and execute those things and it will all come together.

“But last year, it’s just to build on that, build on the experiences and the moments that I had last year into this year.”

Five-time 100m World Champion and recently crowned 2023 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, has announced her return to the Kip Keino Classic scheduled for May 13^th in Nairobi.

The three-time Olympic Champion is returning to the meet where, last season, she opened her season with a spectacular 10.67, signaling her intent to put together what turned out to be the best season of her illustrious career which included her fifth World 100m title as well as the Diamond League title.

“I’m coming back to Nairobi! I’ll be in Nairobi on May 13^th for the Kip Keino Classic and I’ll be racing over the 100m,” Fraser-Pryce said in a post on Facebook.

“Last year was awesome. The stadium was filled with so much excitement and noise and it was so much fun. We’re going to rock that stadium like we did last year so make sure you get your tickets,” she added.

Jamaican national junior record holder Alana Reid continued her sensational 2023 season with a dominant victory in the 100m at the 2023 Puma East Coast International Showcase in Maryland on Saturday.

In what was a highly anticipated contest, Hydel’s Reid, who ran 10.92 to set the national junior record en route to a gold medal at the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March, sped to a meet record 11.01 to comfortably take the 100m title.

The BVI’s Hodge, a 17-year-old Montverde Academy standout who won the Austin Sealy award at the 2022 Carifta Games in Kingston, was second in 11.16 and Friends’ Central’s Avery Lewis was third in 11.41.

Reid and Hodge were expected to clash at the recently concluded Carifta Games in Nassau before Hodge was forced to withdraw from the meet du to a rolled ankle in warm-ups ahead of her 100m heat. Reid ended up taking gold in 11.17.

Archbishop Carroll’s Nyckoles Harbor ran 10.28 to win the boys final just ahead of Catoctin High School’s Brody Buffington (10.29) while Motorcade Track Club’s Adrian Kerr was third in 10.40.

Excelsior’s Daniel Wright took victory in the Boys 110m hurdles in 13.87 ahead of DeMatha Catholic’s Anthony Waterman (13.91) and Our Lady of Sacred Heart’s Antonio Votour (14.41).

Holmwood Technical’s Kiara Meikle ran 13.36 for second in the Girls 100m hurdles behind Bullis School’s Myla Greene (13.28). Greene’s schoolmate Kennedy Flynn was third in 13.56.

Moving on to the one lap event, Meikle's teammate Rickiann Russell ran 52.24 for second in the girls 400m behind Hertage's Madison Whyte (52.49) while Hydel's Abigail Campbell ran 53.30 for third.

The boys equivalent saw Bullis School's freshman phenom Quincy Wilson run 46.11 for victory ahead of St. Elizabeth Technical's Jasauna Dennis (47.01) and James W. Robinson's Harry Economon (48.25).

STETHS and Excelsior ran 40.57 and 41.64, respectively, to finish first and second in the boys 4x100m relay.

Michelle Smith of Montverde Academy and the US Virgin Islands ran a meet record 58.34 to win the girls 400m hurdles ahead of Holmwood Technical's Annalice Brady (1:01.77) and St. Elizabeth Technical's Chennai Jarrett (1:03.97).

The boys equivalent was won by Edwin Allen's Tyrece Hyman in 53.58 ahead of DeMatha Catholic's Anthony Waterman (54.39) and St. Elizabeth Technical's Ronaldo Johnson (56.69).

Hydel's Danielle King took top spot in the girls 800m in 2:10.98 ahead of Holmwood's Jodyann Mitchell (2:11.92) and Bullis School's Lauren Leath (2:13.10). The boys equivalent was won by St. Elizabeth Technical's Barrain Smith in 1:53.79 ahead of DeMatha Catholic's Daden Grogan (1:55.65) and Mount St. Joseph School's Pierce Schulze (1:57.54). 

In the field, Holmwood Technical’s Cedricka Williams produced a dominant display to win the discus throw. Williams’ winning mark on 53.60m was more than 20m further than second placed Andrea Countiss of Gar-Field (33.10m). Bullis School’s Aleah Schwartz was third with 32.76m.

200m World champions Shericka Jackson and Dina Asher-Smith as well as American Sha’Carri Richardson are set to clash in a loaded field assembled for the Women’s 100m at the Doha Diamond League scheduled for May 5.

Jackson, the reigning World champion in the half-lap event, enters this race on the back of a world-leading 10.82 which she did to win at Velocity Fest 13 at the National Stadium in Kingston on April 22. She famously became the fastest woman alive in the 200m when she ran 21.45 to win that 200m title in Eugene. She also ran a personal best 10.71 for silver in the 100m.

Asher-Smith, who took top spot in the 200m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, will be competing in her first outdoor race of the season. In February, she set a new British record 7.03 on her way to winning the 60m at the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final.

Also in the field will be American Sha’Carri Richardson, who ran wind-aided times of 10.75 and 10.57 at the Miramar Invitational on April 8.

The line-up is completed by Zoe Hobbs, Abby Steiner, Melissa Jefferson, Teahna Daniels and Twanisha Terry.

Arkansas junior Ackera Nugent produced a meet record 11.13 to win the Women’s 100m at the 2023 John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday.

Nugent, who set a collegiate record 7.72 on her way to claiming the NCAA Indoor 60m hurdles title in March, won ahead of the USA’s Jayda Baylark (11.24) and her Arkansas teammate Ariane Linton (11.31).

Another Jamaican Arkansas junior, Phillip Lemonious, took first place in the Men’s 110m hurdles in 13.77 ahead of teammates Matthew Lewis-Banks (13.90) and Brevin Sims (14.05).

Bahamian Gabrielle Gibson ran 13.07 to win the Women’s 100m hurdles ahead of Missouri Southern’s Kiara Smith (13.22) and Ashley Wallace of Kansas, who also did 13.81 in third. All three times were personal bests.

The men’s 400m was also filled with personal bests with Harding’s Dakari Bush taking the win in 46.00 over Arkansas’s Jeremy Farr (46.45) and Kansas’ Grant Lockwood (46.63).

Jamaican Arkansas sophomore Nickisha Pryce ran a personal best and meet record 51.47 to win the Women’s equivalent over teammate’s Paris Peoples (52.19) and Aaliyah pratt (53.36).

Jamaican freshman Devontie Archer added to Arkansas’ dominant day with a personal best 51.50 for victory in the Men’s 400m hurdles over Kansas’ Jameir Colbert (52.34) and Missouri’s Zachary Charles (53.28).

St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Shafiqua Maloney took the title in the Women’s 800m in a meet record and season’s best 2:03.20 ahead of the USA’s Honour Finley (2:03.62) and Arkansas’s Lainey Quandt (2:05.58).

In the field, Arkansas sophomore Ralford Mullings threw a meet record 60.71m to win the Men’s discus ahead of the Kansas pair of Dimitrios Pavlidis (57.93m) and Patrick Larrison (55.87m).

The Men’s shot put saw Arkansas senior Roje Stona produce a meet record and personal best 20.08m for victory ahead of Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell (19.98m) and Arkansas’s Jordan West (18.99m).

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has withdrawn from the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone on April 29. Thursday. According to a statement released by the organizers on Thursday, the five-time world 100m champion has been forced to withdraw from the meet because of a family emergency.

The two-time Olympic 100m gold medalist was expected to open her campaign on the African continent as she prepares to attempt to win a sixth 100m title at the World Championships in Budapest in August.

 “I was very excited to kick off my season on Botswana, and while it comes as a disappointment, I will unfortunately no longer be able to compete in the Golden Grand Prix due to a family emergency,” the superstar athlete was quoted as saying.

The organizers wished the global track star the best.

“(We) wish Mrs Fraser-Pryce and her family well, Whilst we were looking forward to having Mrs Fraser-Pryce kick off her season in Botswana, we are working on getting another athlete to fill the gap in the Women’s 100m race,” they said.

Fraser-Pryce kicked off her campaign in Nairobi, Kenya in 2022, running a world-leading 10.67. It was the first of seven times that she would run under 10.70s in the 100m for the season including at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon where she became the first running athlete to win five titles in the same event since the championships began in 1983.

Former Kingston College standout Jhevaughn Matherson is finally healthy and ready to make a return to form in 2023.

The 24-year-old, now training at the Racers Track Club in Kingston, burst onto the scene all the way back in 2013 when he sped to a smooth then-Class 3 100m record 10.85 to win gold at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships at the National Stadium.

His high school career, despite including some bright spots, was plagued by injuries after that 2013.

 In 2019, Matherson moved on to Florida State University (FSU) in the USA and had a decent first season where he reduced his 100m personal best to 10.24. The next three years, however, followed the same pattern as his high school career with several nagging injuries as well as an achilles injury that required surgery.

Now back home, Matherson says he is healthy and working on a comeback.

“Right now, I’m healthy and working hard on the return,” Matherson told SportsMax.TV.

“I expect big things so fans should expect big things as well. I’ve been working really hard so I’m just waiting on the right time to show that work,” he added.

As it relates to his history of injuries, Matherson says that is a thing of the past.

“Definitely!” said Matherson.

“The main issue was strength and I’m working on that. I had an achilles injury that required surgery and I’m completely over that as well,” he added.

Expected to compete in the 100m at the Racers Grand Prix on June 3^rd, Matherson also gave his opinion on the state of the men’s 100m in Jamaica at the moment.

“It should be exciting. There is a lot of quality and I expect great things this season and beyond,” he said.

The sprinter, who will graduate from FSU next month, also expressed gratitude for his time abroad.

“Definitely thankful for the lessons learned along the way. I’ve learned a lot about track and field from being overseas and I’ve been able to implement it while making my return home,” he said.

Reigning NCAA Indoor 60m champions Julien Alfred and Terrence Jones produced excellent performances to win their respective Women’s and Men’s college 100m sections at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday.

The St. Lucian Texas senior Alfred continued her stellar form this season with 10.72 (2.4m/s) to win the Women’s College 100m ahead of Texas Tech’s Rosemary Chukwuma (10.85) and Ole Miss’s McKenzie Long (10.92).

The Commonwealth Games 100m silver medallist also ran a new personal best and St. Lucian national record 21.91 to win the 200m on Friday.

The Women’s Olympic Development section saw Jamaican Kiara Grant produce a personal best 10.99 for victory ahead of Adidas’ Celia Barnes (11.05) and Maia McCoy (11.08).

Jones, the Bahamian Texas Tech junior, produced a massive personal best and world leading 9.91 to win the Men’s College 100m.

Jones, 20, won comfortably ahead of Texas Tech teammate Courtney Lindsey (10.04) and Florida State’s Amir Willis (10.08).

Jones’ 9.91 equals Derrick Atkins’ Bahamian national record done to win 100m silver at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

The Men’s Olympic Development section was won by American 200m World Champion Noah Lyles in 9.95 ahead of Asics’s Joseph Fahnbulleh (9.98) and Adidas’ Kendal Williams (10.03).

Jamaican Sachin Dennis was fifth in 10.11 while the BVI’s Rikkoi Brathwaite and Trinidad & Tobago’s Eric Harrison ran 10.16 and 10.18, respectively, to finish sixth and seventh overall.

Moving to the one lap event, Trinidadian 2022 World Indoor 400m champion Jereem Richards and Jamaican Stacey-Ann Williams both produced personal bests to secure wins.

Adidas’ Richards, who also won 200m gold at the Commonwealth Games last year, produced an impressive 44.68 to win the Men’s Olympic Development 400m ahead of Alonzo Russell of the Bahamas, who also ran a personal best 44.73, and Adidas’ Noah Williams (45.22).

Elite Performance’s Williams, whose previous personal best was 50.14 done in 2021, ran 50.12 in just her second race of the season for the win ahead of Life Speed and Guyana’s Aliyah Abrams (50.77) and Adidas’ Brittany Brown (51.15).

Five-time World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will contest the 100m at the Kip Keino Classic at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya on May 13^th.

On April 29^th, Fraser-Pryce will open her season at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix before, two weeks later, returning to the meet where, last year, she opened her season with a blistering 10.67.

That race started a phenomenal season for the three-time Olympic champion which saw her produce a record seven times faster than 10.70 including 10.67 to win her fifth World 100m title in Eugene in July.