Jamaican 800m national record holder, Navasky Anderson, expressed gratitude after running a season’s best 1:45.70, the second fastest time of his career, to finish second at the Under Armour Sunset Tour in Los Angeles on Saturday.

American Isaiah Harris took the win with 1:44.85 while John Rivera was third in 1:45.80.

The 23-year-old has had what he described as a “rough” 2023 season following up from an outstanding breakthrough year in 2022.

Prior to Saturday’s race, only his fifth race of the season, the Mississippi State Junior had a season’s best of 1:47.67 which he did to finish as runner-up at the National Championships earlier in July.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say it’s been a rough season, tempted with injuries, moments I felt like everything was going wrong, times when I felt like I was just failing everything but, through it all, I survived and I still had faith,” Anderson said in a post in Instagram after the race.

Anderson had an excellent season in 2022. The high point came at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June where the former St. Jago man ran a personal best and national record 1:45.02 to finish second.

He went on to claim his first maiden Jamaican title later that month before competing at both the World Championships in Eugene and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He reached the final in Birmingham, running 1:48.75 for fifth.

Although he won’t be at this year’s World Championships in Budapest having failed to achieve the 1:44.70 qualifying standard, Anderson believes that he will be able to get back to his 2022 self in the future.

“It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a challenge but those bad moments can be channeled into great performances. I’m still learning and stepping out into a new world…the world of elites and I’m ready to take on the world and do what I was born to do,” he said.

MI New York are one step closer to booking a spot in the inaugural Major League Cricket playoffs after an eight-wicket victory over the Washington Freedom at the Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, on Sunday.

MI New York held the Freedom to a respectable 160-6 after winning the toss and electing to field first.

Glenn Phillips hit a 35-ball 47 while Captain, Moises Henriques, hit 32 off 30 balls for Washington.

New York skipper, Kieron Pollard, was amongst the wickets with 2-33 from his four overs.

Nicholas Pooran then starred with an unbeaten 62 as MI New York needed only 15.3 overs to reach 161-2.

The left-hander faced 33 balls and struck four fours and six sixes on his way to his first fifty of the competition.

Pooran was well supported by openers Monank Patel, who hit 44 off 29 balls, and Shayan Jahangir, who made 29. Pollard was at the crease alongside Pooran in the end, finishing 21* off just 10 balls.

The Seattle Orcas and Washington Freedom have each already secured spots in the playoffs with three teams battling for the remaining two spots.

MI New York, who play the Orcas in their last game, will be in with a win or if they avoid a heavy defeat.

The Texas Super Kings and San Francisco Unicorns are the other teams in contention for a spot and they will be facing each other in a winner-take-all clash on Monday.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite hit his 29^th Test half-century as the West Indies ended the third day of the second Test against India on 229-5 after 108 overs, trailing by 209 runs at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

The West Indies began the day 86-1 and Brathwaite and his overnight partner, debutant Kirk McKenzie, added a further 31 runs before McKenzie became the first man to fall on day three for a well-made 32 off 57 balls.

Vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, then joined the skipper out in the middle and the pair added a further 40 runs to the total before Brathwaite was brilliantly bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin for a top-score of 75 from 235 balls including five fours and a six.

Just after tea, Blackwood became Ravindra Jadeja’s second victim of the innings when he was caught brilliantly by Ajinkya Rahane at first slip for 20 with the score on 178.

Joshua Da Silva was next to go when his middle stump was uprooted by Mohammed Siraj for 10.

Alick Athanaze (37), and Jason Holder (11) were the batsmen at the crease at stumps.

Scores: India 438 off 128 overs (Virat Kohli 121, Rohit Sharma 80, Ravindra Jadeja 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 57, Ravichandran Ashwin 56, Jomel Warrican 3-89, Kemar Roach 3-104, Jason Holder 2-57) West Indies 229-5 off 108 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 75, Alick Athanaze 37*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 33, Kirk McKenzie 32, Ravindra Jadeja 2-37)

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Megan Tapper and Rajindra Campbell all secured victories at Saturday’s Meeting de Madrid, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Series.

Fraser-Pryce, aiming for her sixth World 100m title in Budapest next month, followed up a 10.82 clocking in her season opener in Lucerne on Thursday with a meet record 10.83 effort to win.

Spain’s Jael Bestue was second in 11.10 while Shashalee Forbes, who will also be on Jamaica’s 100m team in Budapest, was third in 11.11.

Olympic bronze medallist and reigning national champion, Megan Tapper, ran 12.69 to win the A Final of the women’s 100m hurdles ahead of the USA’s Tonea Marshall (12.74) and Liberia’s Ebony Marshall (12.81).

The A Final of the men’s 110m hurdles saw Tyler Mason and Orlando Bennett finish fourth and fifth with times of 13.41 and 13.43, respectively. The race was won by Switzerland’s Jason Joseph in a personal best 13.10 ahead of France’s Wilhelm Belocian (13.20) and Spain’s Enrique Llopis (13.35).

Fresh off a 9.99 effort to win in Lucerne on Thursday, Julian Forte produced a season’s best 20.35 for second in the 200m. The race was won by South Africa’s Luxolo Adams in 20.22 while France’s Ryan Zeze was third in 20.52.

In the field, Rajindra Campbell set a new personal best, meet record and national record to win the shot put.

The 27-year-old, who entered the competition with a personal best of 21.31m done in May this year, became the first Jamaican to break the 22m barrier with a throw of 22.22m to win and break the previous national record of 21.96m set by O’Dayne Richards in 2017.

American Roger Steen was second with 21.33m while Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi threw 21.30m for third.

Campbell’s throw is also put him joint-third in the world this year alongside New Zealand’s Tom Walsh. Only Americans Joe Kovacs with 22.69m and Ryan Crouser with his World Record 23.56m have thrown further this year.

After he achieved his previous personal best at the USATF Throws Festival, Campbell told The Jamaica Observer that he was confident he’d achieve the automatic World Championship qualifying standard, 21.40m, at some point during the season.

He then produced throws of 20.23m at the Music City Track Festival and 21.14m at the Arkansas Grand Prix in June.

In July, the former Ferncourt and Kingston College man became a national champion for the first time with 21.04 before, just two days ago, he threw 20.21m in Lucern.

Andre Russell put on a show with the bat but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Los Angeles Knight Riders from going down by six wickets to the Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket at the Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina on Thursday.

The Freedom won the toss and put the Knight Riders in to bat. The decision looked like the right one, early, when Washington had the Knight Riders reeling at 68-4 in the 11^th over before Russell came to the wicket.

The all-rounder needed just 37 balls to hit 70*, his second fifty in the tournament. The Jamaican hit six fours and as many sixes. He was supported well by Rilee Rossouw who hit 41 off 30 balls including four sixes.

In the end, LA amassed a respectable 175-7 from their 20 overs. Freedom Captain, Moises Henriques, took 3-26 off three overs while Marco Jansen took 2-29 off four.

The ensuing chase was an all-round batting effort from the Freedom. They needed only 18.1 overs to overhaul LA’s total, eventually finishing on 177-4.

Openers Matthew Short and Andries Gous led the way with scores of 43 and 40, respectively. Short’s innings lasted 35 balls and included three fours and a six while Gous needed just 15 balls and hit five fours and two sixes.

Glenn Phillips also made a good contribution with 29 while Obus Pienaar hit 26. Knight Riders skipper, Sunil Narine, was their most economical bowler with 1-20 from his four overs.

The Knight Riders are still winless in the competition with only one match left to play.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal all scored half-centuries as India reached 288-4 at stumps on day one of the second Test against the West Indies on Thursday.

The hosts won the toss and decided to bowl first at the Queen’s Park Oval.

Based on proceedings on day one, that seemed like the wrong choice as India started the day with a 139-run opening partnership between first Test centurions Jaiswal and Sharma.

Jaiswal, who hit a magnificent 171 on debut in Dominica, made a 74-ball 57 while Sharma, India’s Captain who hit 103 in the last Test, fell for 80 off 143 balls with the score on 155 in the 39^th over.

Jaiswal’s knock included nine fours and a six while Sharma hit nine fours and two sixes.

Shubman Gill (10) and Ajinkya Rahane (8) were the other Indian batsmen to fall before the end of play.

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will be at the crease when play continues tomorrow.

Kohli, who hit 76 in the first Test, will resume on 87* searching for his 29^th Test hundred while Jadeja will resume on 36*. Kohli has, so far, faced 161 balls and hit eight fours.

Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Jomel Warrican and Jason Holder have each taken a wicket for the West Indies.

Jamaican triple jump world leader, Jaydon Hibbert, and long jump world leader, Ackelia Smith, expressed excitement ahead of their Diamond League debuts in Monaco on Friday.

Hibbert will compete in triple jump while Smith will take part in the long jump.

“I’m really happy to be here in Monaco,” Hibbert said Thursday’s pre-meet press conference.

“I’m just super excited to see what the competition is like at this level and just to get my groove on and enjoy myself here,” he added.

Smith also offered similar sentiments before saying she was surprised to be invited to the press conference.

“It’s definitely an honor. As you can tell, my hands are a little shaky. It’s definitely been a great first experience,” she said.

“When I was on the plane, my coach said ‘you have a press conference’ and I thought he was talking to Julien (Alfred) because I did not expect to be here,” Smith added.

Both Hibbert and Smith are both in the midst of breakthrough seasons.

Hibbert, the reigning World U20 champion, in his freshman season at the University of Arkansas, won the SEC Indoor and Outdoor titles before winning both NCAA titles as well.

In the process, he broke both the NCAA collegiate Indoor and Outdoor records. He produced 17.54m, a world U20 record which was recently ratified, to win the NCAA Indoor title.

A couple months later, the 18-year-old jumped a massive 17.87m, the furthest jump in the world this year, to win the SEC Outdoor title. He also jumped 17.56m to take the NCAA Outdoor crown.

Earlier in July, Hibbert successfully defended his title at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships with 17.68m.

“With all these accomplishments, I’m really grateful. Especially as a teenager, not even yet in my prime. I just want to give God thanks and say I’m really excited to continue,” Hibbert said

On Friday, Hibbert will be lining up against the likes of Americans Will Claye and Christian Taylor as well as Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango, whose season’s best of 17.81m puts him second in the world this season behind Hibbert.

“It should be a great competition tomorrow. Everybody’s a star out there. I truly look up to everybody, especially when I was younger. My coach would always tell me to look at these guys and try to replicate what they do,” Hibbert said.

He mentioned Cuban-born Portuguese Olympic and World Champion, Pedro Pichardo, when asked which triple jumper inspires him.

“I like how humble he is and how technical he is in the phases,” Hibbert said.

Smith, a sophomore at the University of Texas has also enjoyed a career-best season.

The 21-year-old jumped a world-leading 7.08m to win the long jump title at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in May and followed that up with a 6.88m effort to claim her maiden NCAA Outdoor title.

She finished third at the recently concluded Jamaican Championships with a best jump of 6.66m.

Smith has also excelled in the triple jump this year. She jumped a personal best 14.54m to claim silver at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She was also runner-up at the Jamaican Championships with a 14.26m effort.

On Friday, she will be competing in a loaded field including the likes of Yulimar Rojas, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Ivana Vuleta, just to name a few.

Rojas is the current World and Olympic Champion and World Record holder in the triple jump. Davis-Woodhall is coming off a win at the US Championships and is currently second in the world behind Smith with 7.07m while Vuleta is a five-time Diamond League final winner, two-time World Indoor Champion and an Olympic bronze medallist.

The Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary on Tuesday proved to be an excellent day for Caribbean athletes.

The star of the day, however, was reigning Olympic 400m champion, Steven Gardiner.

The Bahamian, unbeaten since 2017, produced a world-leading 43.74, the second-fastest time of his career, to win ahead of Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald and American Vernon Norwood.

McDonald ran a massive season’s best 44.03 in second while Norwood’s time in third was 44.63.

In the women’s equivalent, Commonwealth champion Sada Williams ran a season’s best-equaling 50.34 to take the win ahead of Romania’s Andrea Miklos (50.80) and Austria’s Susanne Gogl-Walli (50.87). Charokee Young was sixth in 51.35.

Moving to the 100m where NCAA champion Julien Alfred, on her professional debut, got her usual good start and held her nerve to maintain her unbeaten record this season with a 10.89 effort. The former Texas star handed Sha’Carri Richardson (10.97) her first loss of the season while Tamari Davis was third with 11.02.

It was a Jamaican sweep in the men’s equivalent, with Yohan Blake producing his second consecutive good performance since a disappointing Jamaican Championships last week.

The 2011 World Champion ran 10.04 to win ahead of Ackeem Blake (10.09) while Rohan Watson, Jamaica’s national champion, was third in 10.10.

Defending World Champion and fastest woman alive in the 200m, Shericka Jackson, bounced back from a 100m defeat at the Silesia Diamond League on Sunday to run 22.03 to take the 200m ahead of Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke (22.36) and Bahamian Anthonique Strachan (22.45).

The men’s equivalent produced an upset as the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando ran 19.99 to take the event ahead of American teenage sensation, Erriyon Knighton (20.05) and Jamaican national champion, Andrew Hudson, who ran 20.36 in third. Julian Forte was fourth in 20.41.

Reigning Olympic 110m hurdles champion, Hansle Parchment, was narrowly beaten by American Daniel Roberts in the men’s sprint hurdles.

Roberts’ winning time was 13.12, just .02 seconds faster than Parchment in second and Tyler Mason in third.

Andrenette Knight led a Jamaican 1-2-3-4 sweep in the women’s 400m hurdles.

Knight, who lost to Janieve Russell at the Jamaican National Championships last week, turned the tables this time around with a near flawless race to win in a new personal best 53.26.

Russell ran a season’s best 53.72 in second while Rushell Clayton, who will also be on Jamaica’s team in Budapest, ran a season’s best 53.79 for third. Shiann Salmon ensured that Jamaicans occupied the first four places with 55.04 in fourth.

In the field, 2019 World Champion and Jamaica’s national record holder, Tajay Gayle, finished second in the long jump.

Gayle’s best distance, 8.24m, had him in the lead until the final round when Greek Olympic Champion, Miltiadis Tentoglu, produced a winning jump of 8.29m. The USA’s Jarrion Lawson was third with 7.97m.

New Zealander, Devon Conway, hit 74 to help the Texas Super Kings get their second win in three games in Major League Cricket with a 17-run win over MI New York at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Monday.

The Super Kings won the toss and posted 154-7 off their 20 overs.

Conway’s innings lasted 55 balls and included eight fours and a six. Conway’s countryman, Mitchell Santner, hit 27 in support. Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada each took a pair of wickets for MINY.

MI New York’s chase then failed to get going after a slow first powerplay where they only scored 32 in the first six overs.

The innings sauntered along before, eventually, they were restricted to 137-8 after 20 overs.

Shayan Jahangir top scored with 41 while Tim David hit 21 and Nicholas Pooran made 19.

Daniel Sams was excellent with the ball for Texas, picking up 2-15 in his four overs.

The Super Kings are now on top of the table with four points from three games.

Former West Indies all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, rolled back the years to hit a career-best 76* but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Washington Freedom from defeating his Texas Super Kings by just six runs in their Major League Cricket fixture at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Sunday.

The Freedom first posted 163-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss.

Australian opener, Matthew Short, did the bulk of the scoring for Washington with a 50-ball 80 including 10 fours and three sixes.

He was supported by hic countryman and Freedom Captain, Moises Henriques, who hit 21 and Mukhtar Ahmed who scored 20.

South African quick, Gerald Coetzee, took 2-26 from his four overs for the Super Kings.

Texas, in their chase, were reeling at 78-6 at one point before Bravo gave them a glimmer of hope with some fireworks.

The 39-year-old hit five fours and six sixes in his innings that took just 39 balls.

In the end, they fell agonizingly short of their target at 157-8 after 20 overs.

Akeal Hosein took 2-25 off his four overs for the Freedom while Marco Jansen took 2-31 from his four.

Last week, Shericka Jackson became the joint-fifth fastest woman of all-time when she sped to a new personal best of 10.65 seconds to win her second consecutive Jamaican 100m title.

Jackson, the fastest woman alive in the 200m and the reigning World Champion in the distance, also won the 200m at the Jamaican National Championships in 21.71, a season’s best.

On Sunday, she will compete in her first race since those championships when she lines up in a stacked 100m field at the Silesia Diamond League meet in Poland.

The field will include the likes of US 100m champion, Sha’Carri Richardson, British 200m champion Darryl Neita and Jackson’s countrywoman and third-place finisher at the Jamaican Championships, Shashalee Forbes. Twanisha Terry, Ewa Swoboda, Anthonique Strachan, Gina Luckenkemper and Zoe Hobbs complete the line-up.

Jackson explained her decision to compete in the 100m at tomorrow’s meet in a press conference on Saturday.

“As I said at the Jamaica Trials, it was to focus on the 100m and I think I mastered that so I’m just building from there,” Jackson said.

“I’m hoping to execute a good 100m tomorrow and see the result. The field is really good so it’s just to focus on my lane and execute. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a good day and if the weather stays as it is now, anything is possible,” she added.

As is customary when someone produces a time as fast as 10.65, Jackson was asked about the prospect of breaking Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 34-year-old world record 10.49.

“I think anything is possible,” Jackson said.

“For me, I don’t limit what I’m capable of, not because I started sprinting two years ago. I think I am capable of anything and once my coach and I work on the weak parts and continue to work on the strong parts, I think anything is possible,” Jackson added.

The Seattle Orcas opened their 2023 Major League Cricket campaign with a five wicket win over the Washington Freedom at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Friday.

The Orcas restricted their opponents to 144-7 off 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to field.

Akeal Hosein led the way with the bat for the Freedom with an unbeaten 22-ball 33 including a four and a pair of sixes. Earlier, Andries Gous made 28 and Captain, Moises Henriques, made 24 against a pair of wickets, each, from Wayne Parnell and Harmeet Singh.

The Orcas then needed 19.4 overs to reach 148-5 and secure victory. Quinton De Kock led the way with 48 off 37 balls including three fours and as many sixes. All-rounder, Imad Wasim, finished unbeaten on 43 from 38 balls. Shimron Hetmyer contributed 23.

New Zealander, Corey Anderson, hit an unbeaten 91 to help the San Francisco Unicorns open their 2023 Major League Cricket campaign with a 22-run victory over MI New York at Grand Prairie Stadium on Friday.

Anderson’s knock came off 52 balls and included four fours and seven sixes to help the Unicorns post a formidable 215-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss.

It was an excellent recovery for the Unicorns who were reeling at 50-4 after seven overs before a crucial 129-run fifth wicket partnership between Anderson and Pakistani all rounder Shadab Khan. Khan made a rapid 30-ball 61 including four fours and five sixes.

Pacers Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada took 2-38 and 2-32, respectively.

MI New York then made a solid effort to chase down their target, eventually finishing 193-5 from their 20 overs.

Tim David led the way with an unbeaten 53 off 28 balls while Captain Pollard contributed 48 and Pooran hit 40.

Former England pacer, Liam Plunkett, took 2-30 for the Unicorns.

Jamaica’s Nayoka Clunis threw a personal best 71.18m to finish second in the women’s hammer throw at the 2023 Harry Jerome Track Classic in Langley, Canada on Friday.

Clunis, who won her fourth Jamaican hammer throw title last week, entered the meet with a personal best of 71.13m done in June. She is getting ever so close to the automatic World Championship qualifying distance of 73.60m.

On Friday, the 27-year-old was beaten by Canadian World Championships silver medalist and Commonwealth champion, Camryn Rodgers, who threw 76.12m while the USA’s Jill Shippee threw 70,83m for third.

Clunis’ countrywoman and this year’s silver medalist at the CAC Games, Erica Belvit, was fourth with 68.90m.

Elsewhere, Lloydricia Cameron threw 17.14m for second in the shot put behind Canadian Commonwealth champion, Sarah Mitton’s 19.83m. The USA’s Rachel Fatherly was third with 17.02m.

On the track, Adidas’ Shane Brathwaite ran 13.65 for second in the men’s 110m hurdles behind CYG Elite’s Louis Rollins (13.60). Jackson Cheung was third in 14.20.

Bahamian Shakeel Hall-Smith ran 49.25 to win the men’s 400m hurdles ahead of Roxroy Cato (50.02) and Justin Rose (51.51).

Rohan Watson, Sada Williams and Jonielle Smith were the Caribbean winners at Friday’s International Meeting of Athletics Solidarity Sport, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meet in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy.

Watson, who shocked many Track and Field fans when he produced a personal best 9.91 to win the 100m title at Jamaica’s National Championships last week, ran 10.11 to take first place ahead of Liberia’s Emmanuel Matadi (10.17) and Cuba’s Yenns Fernandez (10.20).

Jonielle Smith ran 11.19 to lead a Jamaican 1-2-3 in the Women’s equivalent. Natasha Morrison, who finished second at the National Championships to book a place on Jamaica’s 100m team to Budapest, ran 11.25 for second while Krystal Sloley ran a personal best 11.41 in third.

Barbados’ Commonwealth Champion in the 400m, Sada Williams, ran a meet record and season’s best 50.80 to take the event ahead of Jamaican Charokee Young (51.13) and the USA’s Kaylin Whitley (52.01).

Jamaica’s national record holder in the 400m, Rusheen McDonald, ran a season’s best 44.83 to finish second behind Botswanan sensation Letsile Tebogo, who ran a personal best 44.75 to take the win. South African Lythe Pillay was third in 45.57.

In the field, Christoff Bryan produced a best jump of 2.19m for third in the high jump behind Italy’s Manuel Lando (2.25m) and Marco Fassinotti (2.22m).