KINGSTON, Jamaica — Three Jamaicans set meet records on Friday’s second day of the 76th Boris Hanžeković Memorial at Sports Park Mladost, in Zagreb, Croatia, a World Athletics Continental Tour—Gold event.

Newly crowned women’s national 400m champion Stacey Ann Williams and Rushell Clayton in the 400m hurdles broke their own meet records while Elaine Thompson-Herah lowered the women’s 100m record.

National men’s champion Tajay Gayle was also third in the men’s long jump with a best of 8.18m (0.3m/s).

Williams ran a personal best 49.48 seconds to win the women’s 400m, beating her previous best 49.59 seconds set at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, Japan and moved up to seventh best all-time by a Jamaican and fifth best in the world.

She also reset the meet record, 50.00 seconds, set in 2024.

Great Britain’s Yemi Mary John was second in 50.33 seconds and Egypt’s Bassany Hemida third in 50.77 seconds.

Clayton dominated her event, running 53.54 seconds to lower the 53.89 she had set in 2022, beating Paulien Couckuyt of Belgium, who ran a personal best 54.32 seconds, with Fatoumata Binta Diallo of Portugal third in 54.55 seconds.

Thompson-Herah, who had pulled out of the Women’s 100m final at last weekend’s Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association National Championships, ran a season’s best 10.91 seconds (0.9m/s), just under the meeting record 10.92 set by Anelia Nuneva of Bulgaria in 1991.

She is tied 10th best in the world with compatriot Tia Clayton, as another Jamaican, Brianna Lyston, was second in a season’s best, equalling 10.94 seconds, with Poland’s Ewa Swoboda, finishing third with a season’s best 10.98 seconds.

Gayle jumped 8.18m (0.3m/s) for third in the men’s long jump, which was won by Anvar Anvarov, who set an Uzbekistan national record 8.29m (0.7m/s), with Serbia’s Luka Boskovic third with a lifetime best 8.23m (0.3m/s).

— Paul A Reid