Tina Clayton among J’cans to shine at World Athletics meet in Hungary
TINA Clayton, Rajindra Campbell and Rushell Clayton led six Jamaicans to podium finishes at the Gyulai István Memorial, the final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event of the season.
Tina Clayton was second in the highly anticipated women’s 100m at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday, while Campbell rallied late to snatch a place on the podium in the shot put. Rushell Clayton ran a well-timed race for second in the women’s 400m hurdles.
Brianna Lyston, Ackeem Blake and Ackelia Smith all finished in third positions in their respective events, while Gary Card and Kerrica Hill set personal best times in the men’s 200m and 100m hurdles, respectively.
World Championships silver medallist Tina Clayton got off to a fast start in the women’s 100m, but was second in 10.97 seconds (-0.3m/s), beaten by St Lucia’s Julien Alfred who ran a season’s best 10.87.
Lyston was third in 11.01 ahead of fourth-placed Elaine Thompson-Herah (11.04) and sixth-placed Jonielle Smith (11.12).
Campbell had his best throw of 21.52m in the final round to move up two spots from fourth place, as Italy’s world leader Leonardo Fabbri won with 22.04m. Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi was third with 21.48m.
Rushell Clayton finished second in the women’s 400m hurdles in 53.34 and Shiann Salmon ran a season’s best 54.81 for fourth place.
American Jasmine Jones clocked a season’s best 52.91 to win, with Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain third in 54.18.
Ackeem Blake ran 10.04 (-0.3m/s) to place third in the men’s 100m that was won by Emmanuel Eseme of the Cameroon with 9.99. Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu clocked a season’s best 10.01 for second.
Nishon Ebanks and South Africa’s Akani Simbine were timed in a dead heat 10.05 for fourth, with Rohan Watson seventh in 10.16.
Ackelia Smith finished third in the women’s long jump with 6.67m (0.1m/s), as American Monae Nichols won with 6.88m (-0.3m/s). Claire Bryant was second with 6.72m (0.2m/s).
Card, who recently lowered the Jamaican Under-20 100m record, ran 20.28 (0.2m/s) to place fifth in the men’s 200m. His effort is the fourth best in the world for Under-20 men and second best ever by a Jamaican, only behind Usain Bolt’s 19.93.
Card’s previous best was 20.50, which was 10th best by a Jamaican Under-20 man.
Yassine Hssine won with a Moroccan national record 19.92, ahead of Makanakaishe Charamba of Zimbabwe who ran 20.09. Nigeria’s Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike equalled his season’s best 20.18 for third.
Hill, the two-time World Athletics Under-20 Championships gold medallist, ran 12.50 (-0.4m/s) for fourth place, under her previous best 12.54. It is the joint eighth best by a Jamaican in the event.
World leader Masai Russell ran a meet record 12.33 to extend her unbeaten run in the event all year. Russell’s United States compatriots Rayniah Jones (12.47) and Alaysha Johnson (12.49) completed the podium sweep.
— Paul A Reid