Ackeem Blake wins in Switzerland
Ackeem Blake won the men’s 100m at the Gala Dei Castelli at Stadio Comunale in Bellinzona, Switzerland — World Athletics Continental Tour – Silver meet — on Monday, running 9.96 seconds (0.2m/s).
Blake, who was running his 18th 100m race of the season, was the only Jamaican to finish in a podium position as national record holders Roshawn Clarke and Rajindra Campbell finished low in their order in their respective events.
South Africa’s Olympic Games finalist Akani Simbine was second in the men’s 100m in 10.04 seconds with Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon third in 10.11 seconds.
Clarke was fifth in the men’s 400m hurdles event, running 49.23 seconds, the slowest he has run all season, in any race that he completed.
France’s Clement Ducos, who just missed a medal at the Olympics after he was fourth in the final, won with 47.94 seconds, beating Nick Smidt of the Netherlands, who ran 48.74 seconds, while Brazil’s Alison dos Santos was third in 48.78 seconds.
Two days after setting a new Jamaican national record 22.31m in Zagreb, Croatia, Campbell was sixth in the men’s shot put with 20.80m.
Ryan Crouser won with 22.25m, ahead of fellow American Payton Otterdahl, 21.61m, with Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri third with 21.36m.
Olympic finalist Orlando Bennett was seventh in the 110m hurdles in 14.01 seconds (0.7m/s), well behind France’s Sasha Zhoya, who won with 13.22 seconds, to upset Olympic champion Grant Holloway of the USA, who was clocked in 12.23 seconds and Cordell Tinch, also of the USA, was third in 13.54 seconds.
Zandrion Barnes was ninth overall in the men’s 400m in 46.26 seconds after placing third in his heat.