Quarter-miler Stephenie Ann McPherson continued her good late-season form after winning the 400m event at the 55th Palio Citta Della Quercia in Rovereto, Italy, yesterday, her second win in three days after winning at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League meeting in Paris, France, on Saturday.

McPherson, who is also preparing for the IAAF Final in Brussels in early September, was one of two Jamaican winners at the event, as sprint hurdler Orlando Bennett also topped his event, while there were runner-up positions for Nathon Allen in the men’s 400m and Janieve Russell in the women’s 400m hurdles.

McPherson clocked 52.04 seconds to beat American Jade Stepter, who was second in 52.10 seconds, and Slovenia’s Anita Horvat third in 52.50 seconds, while Jamaica’s Chrisann Gordon finished in sixth place in 53.28 seconds in her first race since she was hurt at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association National Championships in June.

Bennett, the IAAF World Under-20 silver medallist, won the 110m hurdles in 13.49 seconds (-0.2m/s), beating compatriot Andrew Riley (13.56 seconds) and Italy’s Lorenzo Perini (13.66 seconds).

The Florida-based Allen and Akeem Bloomfield were second and third, respectively, beaten by Abubakar Abbas of Bahrain (45.04 seconds).

Allen clocked 45.43 seconds and Bloomfield, 45.74 seconds.

Russell was also second in the 400m hurdles in 55.25 seconds behind Denmark’s Sara Slott Petersen, who won in a season’s best 54.89 seconds, with Canada’s Pan American Games gold medallist Sage Watson placing third in 55.76 seconds.

Julian Forte was sixth in the men’s 100m in 10.42 (-1.5m/s), as Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani-Brown won in 10.21 seconds, ahead of American Cameron Burrell (10.28) and Holland’s Churandy Martina third in 10.39 seconds.

—Paul Reid