Kingston, Jamaica — Jamaican athletes have demonstrated their exceptional prowess again, with standout performances during the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića in Zagreb, Croatia. The three-day event concluded on Sunday, September 8, 2024, and saw several Jamaicans securing top spots in various disciplines.
Ackera Nugent reinforced her status as a world-leader by clinching victory in the 100m hurdles. Nugent crossed the finish line in 12.55 seconds (-0.5m/s), outpacing Great Britain’s Cindy Sember (12.67 seconds) and American Kendra Harrison (12.76 seconds). Former World Championships silver medallist, Britany Anderson, also from Jamaica, finished in sixth place with a time of 12.91 seconds.
The Jamaican triumphs continued with Stacey-Ann Williams, an Olympic Games semi-finalist, who set a new meet record in the women’s 400m. Williams clocked an impressive 50.00 seconds, comfortably ahead of Norway’s Henriette Jaeger (50.22 seconds) and America’s Shamier Little (50.58 seconds).
Saturday’s events included a stellar performance by Shawn-D Thompson, who won the men’s long jump. Thompson secured victory during the second tie-breaker round, with his marks of 7.99m and 7.94m putting him ahead of Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov. Thompson’s third-best mark of 7.90m surpassed Anvarov’s 7.82m, securing his top place while Croatia’s Roko Farka followed closely with a mark of 7.90m (0.6m/s).
In other notable performances, Shashalee Forbes finished second in the women’s 100m, clocking 11.23 seconds (-0.7m/s). The race was won by Gambia’s Gina Bass in 11.13 seconds, followed by American Jenna Prandini who took third place with 11.30 seconds.
Natoya Goule-Toppin narrowly missed the top spot in the women’s 800m, finishing second with a time of 1:57.43. Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir achieved a meeting record of 1:57.00, while Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew set a personal best of 1:57.47 for third place.
Hansle Parchment, an Olympic finalist, secured third place in the 110m hurdles. Parchment’s time of 13.25 seconds (-0.5m/s) followed Japan’s Rachid Muratake with 13.14 seconds and American Daniel Roberts’ 13.18 seconds.
In the men’s discus throw, Olympic record holder Roje Stona secured fourth place, throwing 65.98m. Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh won the event with a throw of 67.95m, followed by Great Britain’s Lawrence Okoye (67.05m) and Australia’s Matthew Denny (66.99m).
The success of Jamaican athletes at the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića highlights their continued dominance and excellence in track and field events on the global stage.
-Paul A Reid
This report is brought to you courtesy of the Jamaica Observer.
