Jamaicans Watson, Smith on top in Italy
Newly crowned national men’s 100m champion Rohan Watson and Jonielle Smith won the men’s and women’s 100m races at Friday’s 34th Meeting Internazionale Di Atletica Leggera in Lignano, Italy.
Watson and Smith were the only Jamaican winners at the meet, while national record holder Rusheen McDonald, who missed Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) national championships last week and Charokee Young placed second in their respective 400m races.
Watson ran 10.11 seconds (0.8m/s) in his first international competition to beat Liberia’s Emmanuel Matadi- 10.17 seconds and Cuba’s Yenns Reynold Fernandez — 10.20 seconds.
Michael Campbell, who was sixth in the men’s 100m at the JAAA championships last weekend, was sixth in 10.32 seconds.
Smith, who was a semi-finalist last weekend, ran 11.19 seconds (0.6m/s) to top the women’s 100m with Natasha Morrison running 11.25 seconds (0.6m/s) for second, Krystal Sloley ran a personal best 11.41 seconds (0.0m/s) for third while Tia Clayton was fourth in 11.42 (0.0m/s).
Serena Cole was sixth in 11.43 seconds (0.0m/s).
McDonald ran a season’s best 44.83 seconds for second place in the men’s 400m that was won by World Under-20 100m record holder Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in a personal best 44.75 seconds.
Lythe Pillay of South Africa was third in 45.57 seconds.
Young ran 51.13 seconds for the runner-up spot behind Jamaica-based Barbadian Sada Williams who broke the meet record with her season’s best 50.80 seconds.
The previous record 50.86 seconds was set by American Phyliss Francis in 2017.
Amoi Brown placed third in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.92 seconds (-0.1m/s) behind South Africa’s Taylon Bieldt who equalled the meet record 12.81 seconds, that was set in 2006 by American Kellie Wells.
Amber Hughes of the USA was second with 12.89 seconds.
Christoff Bryan was third in the men’s high jump with 2.19m as Italy’s Manuel Lando was with 2.25m and his compatriot Marco Fassinotti was second with 2.22m.