Jamaican athletes stormed to five medals, including two gold, within two hours at the end of the sixth day of the 19th World Athletics Championships inside the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on Thursday.
400m Highlights for Men & Women
Sprint hurdler Danielle “Ants” Williams copped Jamaica’s first gold medal on the meet when she surprised a stocked field which included the current world record holder, former world record holder, Olympic Games gold medallist and defending World Champion.
And minutes later quarter-mile sensation Antonio Watson stunned the field to lift the men’s 400m title. Wayne Pinnock and Tajay Gayle had opened the medals account on the day when they earned silver and bronze medals in the men’s long jump.
Rushell Clayton closed out the day with a stupendous bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles final.
Williams, who as a 22-year-old at the 2015 Beijing World Championships smashed the field, which included older sister Shermaine Williams, won her second world title when she clocked a season best 12.43 seconds to edge out Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who finished in 12.44 seconds. Third place went to American former world record holder Kendra Harrison who crossed the finish line in 12.46 seconds.
Williams also has a bronze medal in the event earned at the 2019 Doha edition.
Her teammate Ackera Nugent ran a decent race to finish fifth in 12.61 seconds, behind Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas with 12.52 seconds.
Within 15 minutes of Williams’ success, Watson produced a masterpiece to land gold, Jamaica’s first in the event since Bertland Cameron, who was in the stands as a coach, won the inaugural edition in Helsinki 40 years ago.
It was also the first medal won by Jamaica in the event since Michael Blackwood won bronze in 2003.
Watson ran on strongly in the home straight to win in 44.22 seconds, just overhauling Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith in 44.31 seconds and American Quincy Hall in 44.37 seconds, a personal best.
Watson’s teammate Sean Bailey was sixth in 44.96 seconds
Women’s 400m Hurdles Highlights
The last medal on the day was produced by Rushell Clayton in the women’s 400m hurdles. She ran a life-time best 52.81 seconds to narrowly miss out on the silver medal won by American Shamier Little in 52.80 seconds, a season best.
But there was no stopping the overwhelming favourite Femke Bol of Netherlands. She ran away from the field to win in 51.70 seconds.
Jamaica’s two other representatives in the final, Janieve Russell and Andrenette Knight were seventh and eighth, respectively. Russell ran 54.28 seconds and Knight, 55.20 seconds.
Men’s Long Jump Highlights
Earlier, in another historic event where Jamaica had three representatives, Wayne Pinnock lost out on the gold medal in the men’s long jump final in the last round of competition. Pinnock, who led for most of the way, cut the sand at 8.50m, with teammate and 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle snatching the bronze medal away from his countryman Carey McLeod, despite both measuring 8.27m., a season best for Gayle.
Greek Miltiadis Tentoglou produced an 8.52m on his last attempt.
Women’s 200m Semi-Final Highlights
In the women’s 200m semi-finals, Shericka Jackson looked awesome in easily claiming Heat 3 in 22 seconds, with 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the US taking second in 22.20 seconds, and Marie-Josee Ta Lou next in 22.26, her best timing for the season.
Jackson teammates Natalliah Whyte was third in Heat 1 in 22.52 seconds, while Kevona Davis was fifth in Heat 2 in 22.34 seconds behind St Lucia’s Julien Alfred who won the heat in 22.17 seconds, with Anthonique Strachan on The Bahamas third in 22.20 seconds.
Adeejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands was seventh in 22.96 seconds.
Men’s 200m Semi-Final Highlights
The men’s equivalent saw Rasheed Dwyer of Jamaica finishing in sixth place in 20.49 seconds in heat two, while Andrew Hudson ran 20.38 seconds in his heat.
He was later placed in the final which is now a nine-man field after he won appeal after getting his right eye hurt in a collision of two carts ferrying the athletes from the warm-up area to the track. The heat was meant to be the first but it was delayed to give him more time to recover. Initial reports suggest that splinter could have got into his eyes.
The Current Medal Table in Budapest
Thursday’s medal haul resulted in Jamaica soaring up the medals table to third place with eight medals, two gold, three silver and three bronze. Here is the full medal table results from World Athletics Championship so far.
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