Jamaicans will be hoping for better results in Saturday’s Wanda Diamond League meeting in Shanghai/Suzhou in China after just one podium finish in last weekend’s opening meet in neighbouring Xiamen.

Eleven Jamaicans are scheduled to compete, including reigning Olympic Games champion Hansle Parchment, World Championships gold medal winner Danielle Williams, and Olympic Games bronze medal winner Megan Tapper.

Parchment will hope his sixth-place finish in the 110m hurdles in 13.33 seconds would have got rid of some race rust as he takes on last weekend’s winner Daniel Roberts and his American teammate Cordell Tinch and Japan’s Shunsuke Izumiya.

Parchment’s 13.33 run inside Xiamen’s Egret Stadium was actually the sprint hurdler’s second-fastest season opener since 2017. His fastest opening race over the period came in 2022 when he clocked 13.20 to win on local soil at the MVP Velocity Fest 11 meet at the National Stadium.

Parchment, who registered a personal best 12.93 seconds during the last campaign, will be looking to continue his build-up to the National Senior Championships and a defence of his title at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer.

World Athletics Indoor bronze medallist Ackeem Blake, who was third in the men’s 100m, had the best finish by a Jamaican at last week’s first meeting of the six-month-long series.

Blake has raced well this season, both indoors and since he opened outdoors and will hope for a better time, if not a win but faces the likes of world indoor champion and last weekend’s winner, Christian Coleman of the United States, and another American, the former world champion Fred Kerley.

Jamaican national champion Rohan Watson will also compete with South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, also down to run after missing last weekend’s race.

Once again, the 100m hurdles field will be stacked with quality and will include last weekend’s winner, Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho Quinn, world record holder Tobi Amusan, and world indoor champion and 60m world record holder Devynne Charlton.

Jamaica women’s shot put champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Photo: AFP)

National women’s shot put champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd will go up against a tough field that is to include China’s Lijiao Gong who won last weekend, as well as Maddison-Lee Wesche of New Zealand, who was second, and American world champion Chase Jackson, who was third.

Jackson, who dominated all of last season, is expected to rebound from her third-place finish last weekend.

Christoff Bryan will hope an additional week in China will help him jump higher than the 2.20m he cleared last year as he chases a qualifying mark for the Olympic Games, 2.33m.

World Championships finalists Tajay Gayle and Carey McLeod will contest the men’s long jump event where they will take on American Marquis Dendy, who goes into the event with the best mark so far, 8.05m, China’s Jianan Wang and American William Williams.

Many-time national champion Stephenie Ann McPherson, who missed last weekend’s event, is down to contest the women’s 400m along with training partner Sada Williams of Barbados and they will face two-time world champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic and Americans Britton Wilson and Kaylin Whitney.

Distance runner Aisha Praught-Leer will compete in the non-Diamond 5,000m event.

SCHEDULE

5:20 am – Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Women’s Shot Put)

5:29 am – Aisha Praught-Leer (Women’s 5,000m)

5:35 am – Christoff Bryan – (Men’s High Jump)

6:04 am – Stephenie-Ann McPherson – (Women’s 400m)

6:18 am – Ackeem Blake – (Men’s 100m)

6:18 am – Rohan Watson – (Men’s 100m)

6:39 am – Tajay Gayle – (Men’s Long Jump)

6:39 am – Carey McLeod – (Men’s Long Jump)

6:49 am – Danielle Williams – (Women’s 100m Hurdles)

6:49 am – Megan Tapper – (Women’s 100m Hurdles)

7:53 am – Hansle Parchment – (Men’s 110m Hurdles)