ACKERA Nugent continued her post-Olympic assault on the 100m hurdles when she lowered her two-month-old national record to 12.24 seconds (-0.4m/s) — the fourth-fastest of all time — to win at the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala in Rome, Italy, on Friday. The event was a Diamond League meet and Nugent set a world lead and meet record in the process.

Nugent, who is coming off a win at the previous Diamond League meeting in Poland on Sunday, eclipsed her previous best of 12.28 seconds which was set while winning the JAAA national championships at the national stadium in late June.

She finished ahead of Olympic champion Masai Russell who ran 12.31 seconds but said, “This victory is not like a revenge for the Olympics for me, I am just in a really good shape. I was injured before and this is a new experience for me. I am still so young and I still got to show up.”

Minutes after her race she said she was not sure where her emotions were.

“I guess they have not kicked in yet because I am still so full of adrenaline. I cannot tell you. I kind of expected to win here.”

There were runners-up finishes for Olympic champion Roje Stona in the Men’s Discus Throw, and Shiann Salmon in the Women’s 400m Hurdles, while Romaine Beckford had a personal best in the Men’s High Jump.

Stona, who was competing for the first time since he set the Olympic record 70.00m, led up to the final round with 67.85m before he was overtaken by Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh who threw 68.61m, while Olympic silver medallist Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania was third with 67.68m.

Stona was philosophical after the event.

“I got beaten at the last attempt but these things happen in sport,” he said. “I had my opportunities but yes, I am a bit disappointed. The result is still good but I am never really satisfied.”

Stona said he was looking forward to returning to Jamaica to celebrate with his gold medal, and hinted at staying in the sport despite a fling with the NFL.

“I finished college and will train at my college as a professional athlete, so you might see me in Europe more often next season,” he said.

Beckford, a finalist at the Olympic Games, was second in back-to-back Diamond League meetings and improved his personal best to 2.30m when he cleared 2.29m in Poland on Sunday.

It was the same height cleared by Korean winner Sanghyeok Woo while Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine was third with 2.27m.

“[A height of] 2.30 metres is something that every high jumper dreams of doing at some point,” he said. “It is an answer to my prayers that I achieved it today. I knew I had to be patient and everything would come together eventually.”

Salmon ran 53.20 seconds for the runner-up spot behind American Olympic Games silver medallist Anna Cockrell who won with 52.59 seconds, while Jamaicans Janieve Russell and Andrenette Knight were fourth and fifth in 54.46 seconds and 54.90 seconds, respectively.

Former Olympic, world, and world indoor champion Omar McLeod was third in the 110m hurdles with 13.28 seconds (0.4m/s), and Orlando Bennett placed fifth in 13.33 seconds as France’s Sasha Zhoya won with 13.18 seconds.

Ackeem Blake was fourth in the Men’s 100m, running 10.03 seconds (0.3m/s), as Botswana’s Olympic Games 200m champion Letsile Tebogo won in 9.87 seconds, followed by Americans Christian Coleman in 9.92 seconds and Fred Kerley, 9.95 seconds.

Olympic Games bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell was fifth in the Men’s Shot Put with 21.52m as Olympic champion Ryan Crouser set a meeting record of 22.49m. Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri was second with 21.70m and American Payton Otterdahl third with 21.63m.

Jamaica’s Roje Stona competes in the Men’s Discus Throw event. (Photo: AFP)