Shelly delivers polished run to cop 100m in Switzerland
Ten-time World Athletics Championships gold medal winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce delivered a polished meeting record 10.82 seconds as she ran her first 100m of the season at Thursday’s Spitzen Leichathletik Luzern at Stadion Allmend in Switzerland, a World Athletics Continental Tour- Silver event.
The reigning World champion was the last of the main contenders to start her 100m campaign and she delivered with the fourth-best time in the world so far, despite not getting off to her usual bullet start.
Fraser-Pryce was one of six Jamaican winners at the event as Julian Forte, Rusheen McDonald, Tyler Mason, Amoi Brown and Janieve Russell all won their events.
Fraser-Pryce took charge of her race at the midway mark and ran away to beat the 10.91 seconds record set by Zhana Pintusevich-Block in 2002 as New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs was second with 11.08 seconds and American Kennedy Blackmon third with 11.11 seconds.
Natasha Morrison was fifth in 11.18 seconds, Serene Cole ran 11.31 seconds, Briana Williams clocked 11.35 seconds and Jonielle Smith 11.39 seconds.
Forte got off to a good start and held on to win the men’s 100m in a season’s best 9.99 seconds (0.5m/s) to win the men’s 100m, beating national champion Rohan Watson who finished strong with 10.03 seconds while Brandon Carnes of the USA was third in 10.06 seconds.
Michael Campbell ran 10.21 seconds for eighth overall.
Commonwealth Games champion Russell avenged her loss to compatriot Andrenette Knight in the women’s’ 400m hurdles, running a season’s best 53.65 seconds, under the 53.72 seconds she ran on Tuesday at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial at the Bregyó Athletic Centerin Szekesfehervar in Hungary.
Russell who just missed her own meet record 53.63 seconds held off American Dalilah Muhammad- 54.01 seconds with Knight third in 54.13 seconds.
Brown scored a big win in the 100m hurdles, producing a strong finish to edge compatriot Danielle Williams on the line, running 12.64 seconds (-0.5m/s).
Williams clocked 12.68 seconds for second with American Tonea Marshall third with 12.69 seconds.
Former World Athletics Under-20 silver medallist Mason continued his amazing form this season after winning the 110m hurdles, running13.19 seconds (1.0m/s) to edge fellow Jamaican Orlando Bennett-13.22 seconds at the finish line in his third race in five days.
American Eric Edwards was third with 13.24 seconds.
National record holder McDonald was also a winner, taking the men’s 400m in 44.80 seconds, easily ahead of Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi- 45.15 seconds as Germany’s Manuel Sanders was third in 45.28 seconds.
Christoff Bryan finished second in the men’s high jump with 2.22m as Vernon Turner of the USA won with 2.25m.
First time national champion Rajindra Campbell was second in the men’s shot put with a best of 20.21m with just two legal throws.
American Roger Steen won with 21.41m with Eric favours of Ireland taking third place with 20.18m.
Tajay Gayle finished third in the men’s long jump with 7.89m (0.0m/s), Jarrion Lawson of the USA won with 8.00m (0.0m/s) and William Williams was second with 7.92m (0.0m/s).