Tia Clayton pauses after completing the final of the women’s 100m sprint at the Paris Olympic Games last August. (Naphatali Junior)
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tia Clayton just missed getting a wild card berth to next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, after she finished second in the women’s 100m race in 10.84 seconds (0.3m/s) on Thursday’s second day of the two-day Wanda Diamond League final at Weltklasse Zürich at Letzigrund Stadium.
St Lucia’s Olympic Games gold medallist Julien Alfred made a winning return to competition after a five-week injury layoff to win with 10.76 seconds.
After failing to make the team directly at the Jamaican national championships in June, the Olympic Games finalist had to win the Diamond League final to earn a wild card spot.
The only option left would be a selection by the JAAA selection committee, to replace Shericka Jackson who was second at the Jamaica championships, if she opts only to run the 200m in Tokyo.
Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, who ran under protest after she was disqualified for a false start, finished third with 10.92 seconds but Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith who was fourth, was promoted.
Ackeem Blake, who was seeking to make it back-to-back Diamond League titles, finished third in the men’s 100m in 9.99 seconds (-0.4m/s), as American Christian Coleman won a close race with 9.97 seconds with South Africa’s Akani Simbine second with 9.98 seconds.
Andrenette Knight was third in the 400m hurdles women final running 53.76 seconds, well- placed before hitting the final hurdle as world leader Femke Bol broke her own meet record of 52.80 seconds set in 2021 when she ran 52.18 seconds. Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova ran a national record 53.18 seconds for second place.
Jordan Scott was fourth in the Triple Jump men with 17.16m (0.6m/s), his first loss after four straight Diamond League wins, as Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez won with 17.56m (-0.3m/s), beating Pedro Pichardo of Portugal with a season’s best 17.47m (0.4m/s) with Algeria’s Yasser Triki taking third with 17.42m (-0.3m/s).
Shanieka Ricketts was fifth in the women’s triple jump with 14.35m (-0.6m/s) as Cubans swept the top three places.
Leyanis Perez Hernandez defended her title with 14.91m (-05m/s) in the third round after after two fouls and added a 14.90m jump in the fourth round.
Liadagamis Povea was second with 14.72m (-0.6m/s) and Davisleydi Velasco jumped 14.65m (-0.6m/s). Romaine Beckford was fourth in the men’s high jump with 2.22m; New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr won with 2.32m, ahead of Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk (2.30m) and American JuVaughn Harrison was third with 2.25m.
Orlando Bennett placed seventh in the 110m hurdles, running 13.35 seconds (0.3m/s) as world leader Cordell Tinch of the USA equalled the meet record 12.92 seconds to win.
— Paul A Reid