Seville strikes back in Monaco
Wayne Pinnock finishes second with impressive series
WORLD leader Oblique Seville won the men’s 100m in his debut appearance at the Meeting International d’Athlétisme Herculis at Stade Louis II in Monaco, the tenth stop on the Wanda Diamond League series, on Friday, running 9.88 seconds before pointing to his motivation to keep winning.
Seville, who won his first National Championships title last month with a world leading 9.82 seconds and who was beaten a week ago at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon said while he respects all his opponents, he should get respect as the world champion.
He held off American Jordan Anthony, who was second in 9.92 seconds and Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme who took third in 10.00.
The World Athletics Championships gold medallist was one of two Jamaicans, who enjoyed a podium finish as long jumper Wayne Pinnock produced a brilliant series to finish second with a season’s best 8.39m, with all six of his attempts going over the 8.00m mark.
“My aim is always to win, I am just staying consistent, winning and getting to the end of the season,” Seville said, “My motive is to win every race I compete in.”
“I will never underestimate athlete I am going up against, because everyone has class,” he added. “But they also have to know that I am the World Champion as well.”
Pinnock, who had not been able to get over the 8.00m mark all season, got off to a great start with his best jump coming in the first round as he maintained his form through the competition.
He said he was able to do what he was told by coach Clive Pullen.
“I came out here, executed what coach told me to do. I am very grateful coming from a bad cycle of competitions in China and Rome,” said Pinnock. “I came out here, did my best and came out with a great jump. To be on the world stage, competing with all these professional and great athletes is not easy. But it´s really (who is) the best on the day. I came out here with the plan to execute on my first jump and that´s what I did and am very excited about that.”
Pinnock, who has won silver medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Indoors and who climbed to number seven in the World Athletics rankings, said he still had some work to do.
“I will just get back to the drawing board, get back to practice, do what I normally do. I know that something is there. It is just on God’s timing, now I am taking it patiently and just go far from there,” said Pinnock.
Greece’s Olympic Games and World Championships gold medalist Miltiadis Tentoglou won with a world lead and meet record 8.61m (0.0m/s).
He broke the meeting record 8.58m set in 1995 by Cuban great Ivan Pedroso and overtook Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer’s 8.51m for the world lead.
World Under-20 record holder Jorge A Hodelin of Cuba was third with 8.38m (0.5m/s), while Tajay Gayle finished seventh with 8.04m (-0.4m/s).
Nickisha Pryce ran a season’s best 49.56 seconds to place fourth in the women’s 400m that was won in a meet record 48.67 seconds by world leader Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, resetting the meet record of 48.97 seconds, set in 2018 by Bahamian Shaunae Miller Uibo.
American Aaliyah Butler was second with 48.84 seconds and Lurdes Gloria Manuel of Czechia finished third with 49.44 seconds.
Romaine Beckford was tied for fourth in the men’s high jump with American JuVaughn Harrison, both clearing 2.23m.
Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine won with 2.32m, beating Great Britain’s Kimani Jack, 2.30m and India’s Anil Kushare, 2.26m.
National champion Demisha Roswell placed sixth in the 100m hurdles after running 12.56 seconds (-0.4m/s) with American Masai Russell setting a meeting record 12.20 seconds, erasing the 12.30 seconds set three years ago by compatriot Nia Ali in 2023.
Alaysha Johnson, also of the USA was second in a seasons best 12.38 seconds with Nadine Visser of the Netherlands third with 12.49 seconds.
Ackelia Smith was eighth in the women’s triple jump with 14.02m (-0.1m/s) as Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez produced a personal best 15.06m (-0.2m/s) to win, easing past Senegal’s Saly Sarr, who also had a lifetime best jump of 14.99m (0.7m/s) while Thea Lafond of Dominica placed third with 14.79m (-0.9m/s).