Top-two spots for Russell, Levy, Gayle
THREE JAMAICAN athletes earned top-two finishes at the Birmingham Diamond League meet yesterday. Janieve Russell, Ronald Levy and Tajay Gayle placed second in their respective events and solidified their places in the finals set for August 30 and 31.
Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles champion Russell was second in her pet event in 54.91 seconds, behind winner Lee Sprunger of Switzerland.
Russell was left with too much to do after a poor first half of the race and was upstaged by the European champion. Sprunger won in 54.86. Meghan Beesley of Great Britain was third in 55.83.
Russell topped the Diamond League preliminary series for the event but was disappointed with her run yesterday.
“I came out there to win ... I think
I did the first part a bit too slow so I had a lot of work to do in the latter part of the race, so I guess that cost me the race today,” said Russell, who stated that she is hoping to win in the Diamond League finals.
Levy continued his fine form this season in the men’s 110 metres hurdles, clocking 13.22 seconds behind winner Orlando Ortega of Spain, who crossed the line in a season’s best 13.08. France’s Pascal Martinot Lagarde was third in 13.27.
Levy, who missed the recent NACAC Championships due to an injury, was pleased with his performance.
“It went OK, I wasn’t really healthy coming in, so I took the heats pretty easy. In the final, the start wasn’t great but I pushed to the line and I am happy with second place. My goal is to hopefully do my best and win the Diamond finals,” he said.
EXCELLENT WOMEN’S 200M
After a personal best of 8.24 metres for second at the NACAC Championships, Gayle came close to that mark with a best of 8.17 metres. South Africa’s Luvo Manyonga won with a meet record 8.53m. Henry Frayne of Great Britain placed third with 8.01m.
There were fourth-place finishes for Shericka Jackson, Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Yohan Blake.
In an excellent women’s 200m, Jackson
took fourth in 22.55 seconds. Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas stole the spotlight by winning the event in a meet record 22.15. Crowd favourite Dina Asher-Smith of Britain was second in 22.31 ahead of Dafne Schippers of The Netherlands, third in 22.41.
Thomas-Dodd was fourth in the women’s shot put after a heave of 17.72m. Germany’s Christina Schwanitz won with a throw of 18.20m.
The final event of the meet, the men’s 100m, was a thriller. In a very tight photo finish for the top two places, American Christian Coleman was given the nod in 9.94 seconds, the same time awarded to runner-up Reece Prescod of Great Britain. The time was a season’s best for Coleman and a personal best for Prescod. World leader, American Noah Lyles, was third in 9.98, just ahead of Jamaica’s Yohan Blake, 9.99.
Blake, in placing fourth, booked his ticket to the Diamond League finals after finishing joint sixth overall on 14 points with France’s Jimmy Vicaut. Jamaica’s other entrant in yesterday’s race, Tyquendo Tracey, was seventh in 10.25.
Jamaica’s Yanique Thompson had bad luck in the women’s 100m hurdles. She failed to finish the event which was won in 12.84 seconds by Pamela Dutkiewicz of Germany.