Four Jamaican athletes — sprint hurdler Brittany Anderson, triple jumpers Clive Pullen and Kimberly Williams and shot putter Danniel Thomas-Dodd — managed runner-up positions at yesterday’s opening World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting at the newly refurbished Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

The meet, which was held at the stadium that will host next year’s World Athletics World championships, saw a sublime world-leading and facility record 49.08 seconds time in the women’s 400m by the talented Bahamian Shaunae Miller Uibo.

World Under-20 silver medallist Anderson ran a good race from lane eight and held on for second in the 100m hurdles, running a season’s best 12.82 seconds (-0.3m/s), beaten by world leader Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico in 12.46 seconds and Rushelle Burton ninth with 13.79 seconds.

Pullen was also second in the men’s triple jump with a season’s best 16.55m (-0.9m/s), finishing behind American Donald Scott’s 16.89m (0.2m/s) with World and Olympic champion Christian Taylor third with 16.52m (1.3m/s).

Indoor World Championship medallist Williams took second in the women’s triple jump with a best of 13.93m (-0.9m/s), American Tori Franklin won with 14.10m (0.7m/s) with Dominica’s Thea Lafond third with 13.78m (0.5m/s).

Thomas-Dodd and the women’s shot put field battled with the elements as a heavy drizzle left the circle slippery, but the Jamaican finished second with a best of 18.46m. American Chase Ealey won with a season’s best 18.93m with another American, Jessica Ramsey, third with 18.40m.

Christopher Taylor was third in men’s 200m in 20.73 seconds (-1.3m/s) and Senoj-jay Givans was sixth with 21.05 seconds as Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards won with a season’s best 20.26 seconds.

Kemba Nelson was fifth in the women’s 100m final in 11.22 seconds (1.2m/s), fading in the second half of the race after a good start, while Christania Williams hobbled across the line after she appeared to have picked up an injury.

Nelson, the NCAA 60m champion, had run a wind-aided 11.08 seconds (2.4m/s) in the preliminaries, the second best from the first round.

There was some dissappoitment as World Under-20 double sprint champion Briana Willians ran 11.29 (2.4m/s) in the preliminary round for 10th overall and just missed making the women’s 100m final that was won by Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare in a season’s best 10.97 seconds.

None of the three Jamaican men qualified for the men’s 100m as Tyquendo Tracey was 10th in 10.46 seconds (-0.9m/s), Jermaine Brown 11th in 10.61 seconds (-0.9m/s) and Andre Ewers 12th in 10.63 seconds (0.3m/s).

— Paul Reid