Olympic Games men’s discus throw champion and record holder Roje Stona says he was satisfied with his season-opening performance at the 44th staging of the Fanny Blankers-Koen (FBK) Games, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, held at FBK Stadium in Hengelo, Netherlands, on Monday.

Stona, who threw 67.19m for third place, said such an effort in his first meet of the season was a good start.

The Jamaican had launched 70.00m to set the Olympic Games record in Paris last year.

“Sixty-seven metres as a season opener this late in the year? I’ll take it,” he said after Monday’s performance.

“I wanted to approach it competitive. Being the Olympic champion doesn’t really add more pressure for me personally because I understand my training and where I am at right now. The biggest thing is to take the opportunities as they come.”

Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia won with 69.21m, with Australia’s Matthew Denny taking second place with 67.64m. Stona’s compatriot Fedrick Dacres placed seventh with 64.86m.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Olympic Games champion Omar McLeod and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lamar Distin were runners-up in the respective men’s sprint hurdles and women’s high jump events.

McLeod, who last represented Jamaica in 2019 at the World Championships on Doha, Qatar, ran 13.42 seconds (0.0m/s) to finish behind American world leader Cordell Tinch (13.10). Belgium’s Michael Obasuyi (13.45) was third.

While stating he was happy with his execution, McLeod said he was not fully fit.

“I am not 100 per cent healthy so I am glad I came out here with a second-place finish. I’m excited to go back to the drawing board and get some work done now. I tweaked my left knee a bit in an earlier race [this season], which is why I wasn’t fully prepared for this competition.”

Distin just missed a new season’s best 1.93m and had to settle for second place with 1.90m as Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers won with 1.97m. Sweden’s Elena Nilsson was third i 1.85m.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd was sixth in the women’s shot put with 18.18m as American Chase Jackson threw a season’s best 20.62m to win, followed by Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands with 20.16m and Maggie Ewen of the United States in third spot with 19.48m.

Carey McLeod was seventh in the men’s long jump with 7.73m (0.0m/s) and Yohan Blake was ninth in the men’s 100m with 10.48 (-1.0m/s).

— Paul A Reid