Munro College’s Chad Hendricks and JC’s Chavez Penn and Balvin Israel all secured wins on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
Hendricks, a silver medallist at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and the Carifta Games, threw an excellent 66.17m to take top spot in the High School Boys’ discus ahead of Bergen Catholic’s Benjamin Shue (61.55m) and Christian Brothers’ Ashton Hearn (58.42m).
Penn, who won the high jump and triple jump double at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and Carifta Games, produced 15.38m to comfortably win the triple jump ahead of Wolmer’s Boys’ Nicardo Grey-Clarke (14.52m) and Cornwall College’s Obrien Bowen (14.49m).
Israel added to his long jump gold medal at Champs with 7.24m to take top spot Friday. KC’s Nathan Wade, who took silver at Champs, was once again second with 7.09m while Calvert Hall College’s Antoine McNair Jr was third with 7.09m.
St. Lucian star sprinter Julien Alfred opened her 2024 outdoor season with a pair of victories at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, California on Saturday.
The 2023 Bowerman Award winner first produced 22.58 to win the 200m ahead of training partners Rhasidat Adeleke (22.61) and 2019 World champion Dina Asher-Smith (22.80).
Alfred then returned to team up with Adeleke, Asher-Smith and Lanae Tava-Thomas and win the women’s elite 4x100m relay in 42.03 ahead of Formula Kersee (Keni Harrison, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jenna Prandini, Morolake Akinosun) who ran 42.93 and the Ivory Coast who ran 43.17.
In the field, Jamaican Ralford Mullings threw 64.43m to win the men’s discus ahead of Turner Washington (63.64m) and Jordan Roach (61.45m).
Kimar Farquharson, Navasky Anderson and Tarees Rhoden completed a Jamaican 1-2-3 in the men’s 800m on day two of the 2024 Tom Jones Memorial at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday.
Farquharson, a junior at Texas A&M, ran 1:46.69 to take top spot. Anderson, Jamaica’s national record holder, ran 1:46.76 in second and Rhoden, a senior at Clemson University, ran 1:46.82 in third.
Vincentian star Shafiqua Maloney finished on top in the women’s equivalent in 1:59.97 ahead of Clemson’s Gladys Chepngetich (2:00.53) and Houston’s Kelly-Ann Beckford (2:00.70).
Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams was second in the women’s 400m invite in 50.71. The event was won by American Alexis Holmes in 50.65 with Britton Wilson running 50.74 for third.
Jamaican Clemson junior Marie Forbes threw a personal best 58.31m for second in the women’s discus invite behind Florida’s Alida Van Daalen (62.58m). Ohio State’s Faith Bender was third with 56.91m.
Jamaica’s Jamelia Young continued her excellent showing at the 51st Carifta Games at the Kirani James Stadium in Grenada on Monday’s day three.
Young added to her gold medal in the U-17 Girls shot put on Saturday with gold in the discus throw on Monday.
Young’s winning distance was 36.80m. Bahamian Terrell McCoy, who took bronze in the shot put, finished one better this time around with 36.09m while Martinique’s Lea Retardato-Samot threw 35.73m for bronze.
Elsewhere, Jamaica’s Jaeda Robinson produced two record-breaking jumps on her way to gold in the U-17 Girls triple jump.
Robinson first broke the record of 12.61m set all the way back in 2009 by Rochelle Farqharson with a 12.66m effort with her very first attempt.
Her second attempt then saw her set another record with 12.69m, which ended up being her best jump of the evening.
Guadeloupe’s Tessa Clamy jumped 12.09m for second while Robinson’s teammate Zavien Bernard was third with 11.63m.
Bahamians Antoine Andrews and Denisha Cartwright won the respective sprint hurdles titles at the 2024 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays held at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas from March 27-30.
Andrews, a sophomore at Texas Tech University and 2022 World Under-20 champion, produced 13.37 to win the 110m hurdles with a 2.4 m/s wind behind him.
Howard University’s Samuel Bennett was second in 13.39 while UTEP’s Jordani Woodley, formerly of Rusea’s High in Jamaica, was third in 13.44.
Cartwright, a 24-year-old Minnesota State senior, produced 12.81 to win the 100m hurdles ahead of UTEP’s Marissa Simpson (12.92) and Cal’s Jada Hicks (12.99).
That race was run with a 2.7 m/s trailing wind.
In the field, Jamaican Arizona State junior Brandon Lloyd threw 61.54m for second in the men’s discus. South Alabama senior Francois Prinsloo threw 64.41m to take the win while Texas Tech senior Devin Roberson was third with 60.98m.
The Wanda Diamond League has released a detailed summary of which disciplines will be staged at which meetings during the 2024 season.
In 2024, the world’s best athletes will once again take the stage in athletics’ premier one-day series, competing at 15 meetings across four different continents.
Athletes will compete for points in their chosen discipline at the 14 series meetings between April and September, with the most successful qualifying for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 13th-14th.
The season begins in Xiamen on April 20th, with the men’s 100m, women’s 200m and a 100/110m hurdles double bill among the headline events. Each discipline will then be staged at least four and up to eight times on the Road to the Final, giving athletes from across the globe enough opportunities to earn points.
Two meetings will be held at a different location in 2024 due to stadium renovation works in their usual locations. The Meeting International Mohammed VI will move from Rabat to Marrakech, while the Wanda Diamond League Shanghai will take place in Suzhou.
The 14 series meetings will each take place in a two-hour TV world programme and will all stage at least 14 Diamond Disciplines. The Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels will be the only meeting to feature every single discipline, with all 32 Diamond League champions crowned over the course of two days.
The season calendar and the allocation of disciplines remain subject to change.
A list of disciplines for each meeting will also be available under the 'programme and results' page on each individual meeting website.
As well as the Diamond Disciplines, each meeting may also include additional disciplines in their programme, in which athletes will not earn points on the Road to the Final.
The disciplines are as follows: 100m (M,W), 200m (M,W), 400m (M,W), 800m (M,W), 1500m/Mile (M,W), 3000m/5000m (M,W), 3000m Steeplechase (M,W), 110m Hurdles (M), 100m Hurdles (W), 400m Hurdles (M,W), High Jump (M,W), Pole Vault (M,W), Long Jump (M,W), Triple Jump (M,W), Shot Put (M,W), Discus Throw (M,W), Javelin Throw (M,W).
Reigning double-sprint Olympic Champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah continues to show signs of a potential return to top form in 2024 after a season’s best 10.92 to win at the Gala dei Castelli, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bellinzola, Switzerland on Monday.
Thompson-Herah, who has endured a season riddled with injuries, took the win ahead of Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot (10.99), her first time below 11 seconds, and Gambia’s Gina Bass (11.12).
This was only Thompson-Herah’s second 100m race since finishing fifth at the Jamaican trials in July. She ran 11.00 for second at the Zurich Diamond League on August 31.
The 31-year-old was a member of Jamaica’s silver medal 4x100m team at the recently concluded World Championships in Budapest where she ran in the heats.
On the men’s side, Oblique Seville ran 10.01 to take the win ahead of Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (10.04) and South Africa’s Akani Simbine (10.12).
Seville narrowly missed out on a medal in Budapest, finishing fourth in 9.88, the same time credited to bronze medallist, Zharnel Hughes.
Another 100m finalist in Budapest, Ryiem Forde, was seventh in 10.28 on Monday.
Natoya Goule-Toppin rebounded from a sub-par showing in Budapest to take the 800m in 1:57.53, a new meet record.
The USA’s Addison Wiley ran a personal best 1:57.64 in second while Switzerland’s Audrey Werro ran a national record 1:58.13 in third.
Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who was upset by Danielle Williams in Budapest, came out on top with a meet record 12.56 in the 100m hurdles. The Netherlands’ Nadine Visser ran a season’s best 12.61 in second while the USA’s Nia Ali ran 12.63 in third.
Shashalee Forbes, a member of Jamaica's silver-medal winning 4x100m team in Budapest, ran 22.74 for second in the 200m behind the USA's Tamara Clark (22.64). Italy's Dalia Kaddari ran 22.86 for third.
Orlando Bennett ran 13.40 for third in the men’s 110m hurdles won by Switzerland’s Jason Joseph in 13.18. Senegal’s Louis Francois Mendy was second in 13.29.
In the field, 2019 World Championship silver-medallist Fedrick Dacres threw 66.19m for third in the discus behind World Champion Daniel Stahl (67.24m) and Kristjan Ceh (67.15m).
2019 World Championship silver medallist, Fedrick Dacres, produced a 66.72m effort to finish fifth in the final of the Men’s discus throw on day three of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Monday.
The event was won by Sweden’s Daniel Stahl with a championship record 71.46m while Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh threw 70.02m for second and Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna threw 68.85m for third.
It was an exciting end to the competition as Ceh took the lead with his final round effort before Stahl produced the championship record throw with the very last throw of the competition.
Traves Smikle finished 11th with a best throw of 61.90m.
Reigning national champion Traves Smikle and 2019 World Championships silver medalist Fedrick Dacres both made it through to the final of the men’s discus throw on day one of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday.
Smikle had the fourth furthest throw in qualifying with 65.71m while Dacres threw 65.45m to qualify with the seventh farthest throw. Roje Stona, who finished second at the Jamaican Trials, had a best throw of 62.67m to finish 20th overall.
Swedish World and Olympic Champion, Daniel Stahl, led all qualifiers with 66.25mwhile Mykolas Alekna (66.04m) and Kristjan Ceh (65.95m).
NCAA Championships runner-up, Roje Stona, is looking forward to participating in his first IAAF World Championships set for August 19-27 in Budapest.
The Jamaican Arkansas standout is currently sixth on the world rankings this year with a best throw of 68.64m done to win at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Baton Rouge in May.
He enters Budapest as one of Jamaica’s biggest medal contenders in the field events.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be a good competition. I’ve trained for the last couple weeks after the National Trials. I’m used to the extended season so it’s just for me to go out there and compete for a medal,” Stona said.
Those National Trials saw Stona throw 65.92m to finish second behind Traves Smikle’s 66.12m. 2019 World Championships silver medalist Fedrick Dacres threw 65.79m to complete Jamaica’s team for Budapest.
“It was a good experience. I was happy with the result in terms of finishing top three and getting a solid mark over 65m,” Stona said.
These performances mark a steady improvement for Jamaica in the event. Stona (6th), Dacres (7th) and Smikle (9th) are all in the top 10 in the world this year in the event. Stona’s best performance this season was his aforementioned 68.64m effort at the SEC Championships. Dacres threw 68.57m to win at the Tucson Elite Classic in Arizona in May while Smikle threw a personal best 68.14m at the King of the Ring event at the Excelsior High School on February 11.
“I’m glad to see that there’s a lot of improvement in the event in the country. I’m looking forward to competing with the guys,” Stona said.
At major championships, throwers will get up to three throws in the preliminaries but Stona is hoping he only needs one to achieve the automatic qualifying distance to the final which is 66.00m.
“If you make it to these competitions you are guaranteed three throws so, obviously, I’m going to try to make sure that I qualify from round one to not put myself under any pressure,” he said.
Action can be seen live on the SportsMax app.
Zharnel Hughes sent shockwaves through the track and field world on Saturday when he sped to a personal best, world lead and British record 9.83 to take the win in the Men’s 100m at the USATF NYC Grand Prix at the Icahn Stadium.
The Anguilla-born Hughes, who currently trains under legendary coach Glen Mills at the Racers Track Club in Jamaica, recovered after being left at the start by Jamaica’s Akeem Blake and the USA’s Christian Coleman to obliterate his previous personal best of 9.91 done five years ago in Jamaica. Blake ran 9.93 for second while Coleman was third in 10.02.
Hughes, a former Class 1 100m record holder at the ISSA Boys & Girls Championships where he competed for Kingston College in 2014, broke the previous British record of 9.87, set by Jamaican-born Olympic and World Champion, Linford Christie, back in 1993.
In the Women’s equivalent, Aleia Hobbs was the only athlete to break 11 seconds, running 10.98 for victory.
Jamaica’s Briana Williams got her customary bullet start and was able to maintain her form and composure to run a season’s best equaling 11.04 in second while defending US champion, Melissa Jefferson, ran a season’s best 11.06 for third.
Jamaica’s Zandrion Barnes ran 45.05 to take the win in the Men’s 400m ahead of Matthew Boling (45.58) and Trevor Stewart (45.85).
The women’s equivalent was won by American 400m hurdles world record holder, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, in a personal best 49.51 ahead of teammate Gabby Thomas (50.29) and Jamaica’s Charokee Young (51.02).
2015 World Champion Danielle Williams was third in the 100m hurdles. In a race aided by a 2.8 m/s wind, American former world record holder, Kendra Harrison, ran 12.29 for victory finishing narrowly ahead of Alaysha Johnson (12.30) and Williams (12.33). Olympic bronze medallist, Megan Tapper, was fifth in 12.68.
18-year-old Surinamese phenom, Issam Assinga, ran 20.25 for second in the Men’s 200m behind World Champion, Noah Lyles, who ran 19.83 for the win. The USA’s Elijah Morrow ran 20.30 for third. With that time, Lyles has now tied double sprint world record holder, Usain Bolt, for the most sub-20 times in the 200m with 34.
In the field, Dominican Commonwealth Games silver medalist, Thea Lafond, produced 14.47m to win the Women’s triple jump ahead of the USA’s Kenturah Orji (14.30m) and Canada’s Caroline Erhardt (13.80m).
Traves Smikle threw 65.36m to take the discus crown ahead of Samoa’s Alex Rose (64.63m) and Jamaica’s Kai Chang (63.17m).
2019 World Championship silver medalist, Danniel Thomas-Dodd, threw 19.38m for second in the Women’s shot put behind American world leader Maggie Ewen (19.68m). Chase Ealey threw 19.25m for third.
Jamaica’s Kimberly Williamson cleared 1.83m for second in the Women’s high jump behind the USA’s Vashti Cunningham (1.95m). Jelena Rowe cleared 1.79m for third.
Jamaican discus thrower Abigail Martin will get to display her skills on the NCAA circuit next season after committing to Texas A&M University, the school announced on Thursday.
“A good one for the throws squad,” the school posted on Instagram.
Martin, currently at St. Jago, has a personal best in the event of 55.87m done at the JAAA Budapest Quest meet at the National Stadium in Kingston on May 27.
The 19-year-old took discuss silver in the Class 1 Girls event at the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March before, a week later, winning Under-20 gold at the Carifta Games in the Bahamas.
Jamaicans Traves Smikle and Fedrick Dacres finished first and second in the men’s discus throw on day one of the 2023 USATF LA Grand Prix at the UCLA Drake Stadium in California on Friday.
Smikle produced a consistent series with his two best throws coming in the first and sixth rounds.
The first round saw him produce a 65.26m, which would have been good enough to win, before five rounds later he threw the discus 67.07m.
Dacres, the 2019 World Championship silver medallist, was in third after four rounds with a best throw of 63.30m. After a foul in the fifth round, he produced a 64.51m effort in the final round to secure second place.
Samoa’s Alex Rose was third with a best throw of 64.03m.
Jamaican Barton County sophomore Brandon Lloyd set a new junior collegiate record to win the men’s discus at the NJCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships at New Mexico Junior College on Friday.
The 21-year-old fouled his first attempt then threw 55.91m in round two before unleashing a record-breaking 65.32m throw in the third round, his only throw over 60m on the day.
Two other Jamaicans, Coffeyville’s Trevor Gunzell and Barton County’s Christopher Young, were second and third with throws of 61.23m and 59.68m, respectively.
Highland’s Dayjahney Hibbert cleared 1.73m for third in the women’s high jump behind Iowa Western’s Miracle Ailes (1.82m) and Cloud County’s Vanessa Mercera (1.76m).
On the track, Grenadian Butler sophomore Nazzio John, a World Under-20 100m finalist in Nairobi in 2021, ran 10.06, aided by a 3.7 m/s wind, to be the second fastest qualifier to the men’s 100m final.
New Mexico’s Kimarlie Stewart ran 10.11 with a 2.4 m/s wind to also progress to the final set for Saturday.
Bahamian Fort Scott sophomore Damazvia Dames was the second fastest qualifier in the women’s 200m with 23.10 while Guyanese Hinds sophomore Brianna Charles ran 23.35 to also advance.
The Caribbean also had three men progress to the final of the 110m hurdles in the form of Dishaun Lamb of South Plains (13.94), Iowa Western’s Rahyme Christian (14.02) and New Mexico’s Che Saunders (14.09).
The women’s 100m hurdles saw Barton County’s Danae Nembhard (13.59) and Kay-Lagay Clarke (13.93) as well as Jody Ann Dixon of Hinds (14.23) advance.
Moving on to the two-lap event, Kimar Farquharson of South Plains led all qualifiers to the final with a 1:50.02 effort in his preliminary.
The Indian Hills pair of Tyrice Taylor (1:51.06) and Rivaldo Marshall (1:51.29) will also be in the final.
On the women’s side, Rushana Dwyer of South Plains ran 2:14.65 to advance second fastest.
Arkansas’s Jaydon Hibbert and Roje Stona as well as Texas A&M’s Lamara Distin all secured wins on the third and final day of the 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships at LSU on Saturday.
The 18-year-old Hibbert was easily the star of the day. The 2022 World Junior Champion produced an incredible personal best of 17.87m to take the Men’s triple jump crown ahead of Arkansas teammate Ryan Brown (16.43m) and Alabama's Christian Edwards (16.22m).
Hibbert opened the competition with a 17.02m effort before throwing down the biggest jump of his career so far in the second round. As he has done for most of the season to preserve his legs, he passed on his next four attempts.
Hibbert’s mark is also a new collegiate record, world lead and world junior record and puts him in a three-way tie for 13th on the all-time list.
Earlier in the day, Stona, also of Arkansas, produced a personal best 68.64m, the second furthest throw in collegiate history, to win the Men’s discus ahead of teammate and countryman Ralford Mullings (62.00) and Alabama’s Alan de Falchi (61.82m).
Distin continued her unbeaten run in the high jump this season with a 1.91m clearance to win ahead of Georgia’s Elena Kulichenko (1.88m) and Tennessee’s Cheyla Scott (1.85m).
On the track, Arkansas’s Ackera Nugent ran a personal best 12.43 for second in the Women’s 100m hurdles behind LSU’s Alia Armstrong’s 12.40. Kentucky’s Masai Russell was third in 12.47.
Another Jamaican Arkansas athlete, Phillip Lemonious, was second in the Men’s 110m hurdles in 13.63 behind Tennessee’s Devon Brooks (13.53). Another Tennessee athlete, Cayman’s Rasheem Brown, was third in 13.64.
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