MONTEGO BAY, St James — Kemar Bailey-Cole was the best-placed Jamaican athlete after placing second in the men’s 100m at the penultimate IAAF World Challenge meeting in Zagreb, Croatia, yesterday, beaten by American Michael Rodgers in a blanket finish.

Rodgers won the race in 9.97 seconds, just ahead of the Jamaican, who ran 9.99 seconds with World Championships silver medallists Justin Gatlin third in 10.01 seconds.

Two other Jamaicans, Edino Steel, in the 400m, and Kimberly Williams in the female triple jump, were third in their respective events.

Steel, who was originally scheduled to run in the ‘B’ race, was promoted to the ‘A’ race after world champion LaShawn Merritt withdrew, placed third in 45.59 seconds behind Briton Martyn Rooney (45.29 seconds) and Pavel Maslak of the Czech Republic (45.42 seconds).

Williams, the fourth-placed finisher at the World Championships, was third with 14.38m, the same mark recorded by second-placed Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko of Israel, while Ukraine’s Olha Saladuha won with 14.44m.

Damar Forbes ended his season with a seventh-place finish in the long jump with a best mark of 7.78m; South Africa’s Godfrey Khotso Mokoena won with 8.09m.

In the women’s 100m Aleen Bailey finished fifth with a time of 11.79 seconds, well behind the winner Barbara Pierre of the USA, who won in 11.00 seconds, and her compatriot Alexandria Anderson (11.06 seconds).

Meanwhile, there was a win for Julian Forte in the men’s 100m at a meeting in Italy, the 49th meeting internazionale di atletica leggera Rovereto.

Forte ran 10.15 seconds (+0.7m/s) to win his heat and had the fastest time overall as American Calesio Newman, who won his heat in 10.16 seconds, was second overall followed by Zimbabwe’s Gabriel Mvumvure (10.22 seconds).

Another Jamaican Rasheed Dwyer was listed but did not show.

Leford Green ran a season’s best 48.86 seconds for second place in the men’s 400m hurdles, beaten by Cuba’s Omar Cisneros (48.51 seconds) with Rhys Williams of Great Britain third in 48.90 seconds.

Rusheen McDonald was also second, running 45.57 seconds in the men’s 400m, just beaten to the line by Italian Matteo Galvan (45.55 seconds) with Ireland’s Brian Gregan third in 46.35 seconds.

Andrea Bliss and Shermaine Williams were second and third in the women’s 100m hurdles, beaten by a meet record 12.80 seconds set by Russian Yulia Kondakova,

Bliss ran 13.00 seconds, while Williams clocked 13.08 seconds.

Kaliese Spencer and Christine Day contested the women’s 200m finishing in sixth and ninth places, respectively, as Ukraine’s Mariya Ryemyen ran a national record 22.67 to win the event.

Spencer, who was second in her heat, ran 23.11 seconds, as Americans Tiffanny Townsend was second with 22.77 seconds and Charonda Williams third with 22.85 seconds.

O’Dayne Richards placed third in the men’s shot put with 19.78m, as Bulgarian Georgi Ivanov won with a meet record 20.75m, and Jakub Szyszkowski of Poland was second with 20.00m.