Quarter-miler Stacey Ann Williams and short sprinter Jodean Williams staked claims for places on the Jamaican team to next month’s World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China after running personal best times in their respective events at meets in the USA on Friday.

Stacey-Ann who recently moved to the Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Hurdles Mechanics training camp, clocked 51.31 seconds in the women’s 400m at the Tyson Invitational, placing third overall.

She beat her previous indoor best of 51.49 seconds set in March 2022 in Alabama and moved past Dionne Hemmings into sixth place all time on the Jamaican rankings. Her time was also the joint sixth best in the world so far, tied with Great Britain’s Amber Anning.

National champion Nickisha Pryce was fourth with 51.71 seconds and Joanne Reid of the University of Arkansas placing seventh in 52.19 seconds.

At the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson University, Jodean Williams twice ran 7.14 seconds to win the women’s 60m, the same time she ran in the semi-finals. Williams, who ran 7.18 seconds in the first round, lowered her previous best of 7.16 seconds that she ran at the Western Relays in February last year.

Also at the Clemson meet, Shanque Williams, younger sister of Stacey-Ann, also ran a personal best 52.79 seconds to place second in the women’s 400m purple, lowering her previous best of 53.51 seconds set two weeks ago. Dejanae Oakley of the University of Georgia was eighth in the women’s 400m orange in a season’s best 52.12 seconds.

World Championships and Olympic Games medalist Tajay Gayle won the men’s long jump at the Tyson Invitational with 8.15m, seventh best in the world, with Nikaoli Williams of the University of Oklahoma second with a season’s best 8.02m.

Brianna Lyston of LSU ran 7.13 seconds twice in the first round and semi-finals of the women’s 60m invitational but did not show up for the final. Natasha Morrison ran 7.33 seconds in the first round, Tina Clayton clocked 7.37 seconds and Machaeda Linton of LSU ran 7.39 seconds.

At the Clemson meet, Oneka Wilson ran a life time best 7.95 seconds in the semi-finals of the women’s 60m hurdles, second best all time at Clemson. She beat the 8.03 seconds she had set last year.

Meanwhile, Aaliyah Foster was second in the women’s long jump invitational with a personal best 6.54m, fifth all time at the University of Texas while Shantae Foreman of Clemson was fifth with a season’s best 6.06m.

Britannia Johnson of the University of Purdue threw a personal best 19.45m for second in the women’s weight throw while Adrienne Adams of Auburn University was eighth in the women’s weight throw invitational with 19.77m.