Shot-putter Danniel Thomas-Dodd opened Jamaica’s medal hunt with a historic silver medal, becoming the first Jamaican female to make it to the podium at a senior, major global track and field championships when she copped second place in the shot put on yesterday’s second day of the 17th IAAF World Indoor Championships, at Arena Birmingham in the English Midlands.

Thomas-Dodd extended her own National Indoor Record to 19.22m, second best in the world this year only behind gold medal-winning Anita Marton’s 19.62m effort on her final throw.

Marton had pushed Thomas-Dodd off the podium at last year’s World Championships in London when her final-round effort took her from fourth place to the gold, as the Jamaican dropped to fourth from third.

“There is no way to explain how I am feeling,” the 25-year-old Thomas-Dodd told reporters afterwards. “I wanted a PB and that’s all I was hoping for, but to come away with a PB and a medal, it’s a bonus.”

Thomas-Dodd, who came into the championships with a personal best 19.05m and who won the NCAA Division One title last year, said: “I had it in the back of my mind that I could potentially get a medal; all I had to do was relax and work my technique.”

Meanwhile, it was a day of fluctuating fortunes for the Jamaican team as Elaine Thompson finished fourth in the women’s 60m final, while Stephenie-Ann McPherson was disqualified for a lane violation in the 400m semis.

Tovea Jenkins, in her first major championships, qualified for today’s 400m final while Aisha Praught also advanced to the medal round in the 1500m.

In the shot put final, Thomas-Dodd sent a clear message she was ready to compete with the giants of the event with one throw under 18.90m, as she took the lead with 18.92m and inched up to 18.95m in the second round.

The record came in the third round after she had slipped into third place behind eventual bronze medal winner Lijiao Gong of China, and after fouling her fourth-round effort and throwing 18.86m she finished strong with 19.07m.

Thompson just missed back-to-back bronze medals in the 60m after she clocked 7.08 seconds and was edged by the Ivory Coast’s Marie Josee Ta Lou and Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, who were tied with 7.05 seconds but separated by five-thousands of a second.

Murielle Ahoure ran a blistering, world-leading 6.97 seconds, dominating the race from start to finish to win the gold medal.

A second Jamaican, Remona Burchell was eighth in the final in 7.50 seconds.

In the first round Thompson was second to Ta Lou in her heat, while Burchell also finished second and a third runner, Gayon Evans was third in her heat but did not show up for the semis.

Thompson then ran a season’s best 7.07 seconds in the semis, to place second to Ahoure, while Burchell was joint second in her race to advance to her first major final.

Jenkins made up for the disappointment of McPherson’s disqualification when she finished third in her semi-final in 52.42 seconds, but was bumped up to second and an automatic qualifying spot after Maria Belimpasaki was disqualified for a lane violation which her team officials denied in a protest to the appeals body at the championships.

Earlier in the first round Jenkins, who is based in South Carolina with her former college coach Lennox Graham, won her race in 53.39 seconds.

McPherson had also won her first- round race in a season’s best 52.18 seconds and dominated her semi-final to win easily in 52.72 seconds, easing through the finishing line before the disqualification.

There were no indications that the Jamaica delegation protested the ruling.

Praught was third in her semi-final heat of the 1500m in four minutes 07.51 seconds to advance to today’s final, where she led for more than half the race before being passed by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, the 3000m winner, on Thursday’s opening day and Great Britain’s Laura Maur.

Javon Francis missed advancing to the final of the men’s 400m, after he appeared to give up just before the finishing line in the semi-finals and finished fourth in 46.73 seconds, placing 10th overall after he ran 46.87 seconds in the first round for second in his race.

Steven Gayle was last in his first- round heat, appearing to limp over the second half of the race, and was later one of six men disqualified, including all five in the third heat.

Long jumper Damar Forbes had a dismal day, getting out only to 7.21m to finish 15th, while Kemoy Campbell was disqualified in the 3000m.