Rajindra Campbell and Romaine Beckford for Italy meet
OLYMPIC Games bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell and high jump finalist Romaine Beckford are set to compete at today’s Palio Citta’ della Quercia, a World Athletics Continental Silver Tour meet at Stadio Della Quercia in Italy.
Campbell and Beckford have competed at the two most recent Wanda Diamond League meets — in Silesia, Poland and Rome, Italy — and will be among 14 Jamaicans down to compete at the meet today.
Campbell, who won Jamaica’s first-ever Shot Put medal at the Olympics when he won a surprise bronze in Paris, will go up against American favourite Jordan Geist, Zane Weir of Italy, and Chuckwuebuka Enewechi of Nigeria.
Beckford has finished second in back-to-back Diamond League events, improving on his personal best on each occasion and taking it to 2.30m in Rome.
Today he faces former Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi and his Italian compatriot Stefano Sottile.
Tajay Gayle and Shawn-D Thompson are set to line up in the Men’s Long Jump where they will face off against Cuba’s Lester Lecay and Bulgaria’s Anvar Anvarov who are going into the event with the best marks so far.
Another Olympic Games finalist, Orlando Bennett will contest the 110m hurdles in which he faces Americans Cordell Tinch and Michael Dickson, as well as Cuba’s Roger Iribarne.
Former Jamaican national champion Rohan Watson and Michael Campbell are down for the Men’s 100m during which they will hope to match strides against Americans Pjai Austin and Ronnie Baker, and Canada’s Jerome Blake.
Zandrion Barnes and Rusheen McDonald compete in the Men’s 400m where they face Mathesus Lima of Brazil, Jonathan Sacoor of Belgium, and Wendell Miller of The Bahamas.
Shashalee Forbes and Natasha Morrison are set to line up in the Women’s 100m against Americans Tamara Clarke and Candace Hill, while Stacey-Ann Williams and Stephenie-Ann McPherson run in the Women’s 400m in which Kingston-based Sada Williams of Barbados will start favourite to win.
Yanique Thompson, who is coming off a win at ISTAF Berlin on Sunday, will contest the 100m Hurdles against American Tonea Marshall, Cyndy Sember of Great Britain, and Sarah Lavin of Ireland.