Jamaican athletes eye success at USATF NYC Grand Prix
NEW YORK CITY, (CMC) – Ackeem Blake, Briana Williams and Charokee Young are among the Jamaican athletes expected to add flavour to a full programme of sprints at the USATF NYC Grand Prix at the Ichan Stadium on Saturday.
Blake will come face-to-face with American Christian Coleman in the men’s 100m that will also include Jamaican Kadrian Goldson.
Coleman got the better of Blake by only three hundredths-of-a-second at last year’s staging, but the Jamaican turned the tables on the 2019 world champion at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix in May, winning in a personal best of 9.89.
Meanwhile, Williams will have her hands full as the only non-American to face the starter for the women’s 100m.
Her challengers include Olympic 200 bronze medallist Gabby Thomas, Aleia Hobbs, Melissa Jefferson and Morolake Akinosun.
Young will lead the Jamaicans in the women’s 400m, which will also include Junelle Bromfield, and Ashley Williams.
Thomas, whose personal best over this distance is 49.68, will lead the American challenge that also includes Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world and Olympic 400 hurdles champion.
In the men’s equivalent of the event, Sean Bailey, Zandrion Barnes, and Karyme Bartley will carry the torch in the men’s 400, where Americans Trevor Stewart and Noah Williams appear to be their strongest rivals.
Damion Thomas and Orlando Bennett will line up for the men’s 110m hurdles, where Devon Allen of America will hope for back-to-back wins and a repeat or best the 12.84 – the third-fastest time in history – he ran to win.
Former world champion Danielle Williams and her compatriot, Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper will try to turn back the American challenge in the women’s 100m hurdles that features former world record-holder Kendra Harrison.
In the field events, Danniel Thomas-Dodd has been in fine form this season and will be out to upstage the competition along with Portious Warren of Trinidad and Tobago in the women’s shot put.
The pair of Travis Smikle and Kai Chang take on Oceania record-holder Alex Rose and Sam Mattis of America in the men’s discus, Erica Belvit will take part in the women’s hammer throw.
Other Caribbean competitors include Thea Lafond of Dominica, who will clash Keturah Orji of Merica in the women’s triple jump, while the Bahamian pair of Donald Thomas and Shaun Milelr will feature in the men’s high jump.
Rising Surinamese talent Issam Asinga and Eric Harrison of Trinidad and Tobago will be hoping to upset American Noah Lyles in the men’s 200m, which will hold pride of place as the final event on the schedule.
