Three Jamaicans place third on day-two of Diamond League final
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Third place finishes from hurdlers Ackera Nugent and Shiann Salmon and shot putter Rajindra Campbell were the highlights of the Jamaicans on Saturday’s final day of the two-day Diamond League final in Brussels.
None of the Jamaicans who competed on Saturday added to the two Diamond League titles won on Friday by Ackeem Blake in the men’s 100m and Tajay Gayle in the men’s long jump.
Ackera Nugent’s four-race winning streak ended as she placed third in the 100m hurdles final in 12.55 seconds while Danielle Williams was fifth in 12.62 seconds. The race was won by Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in 12.38 seconds. Nadine Visser of the Netherlands was second in 12.54 seconds.
Rajindra Campbell did well to place third in the men’s shot put with 21.95m as Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri set a national and meet record of 22.98m for the win. Olympic champion Ryan Crouser of the USA was second with 22.79m.
Fabbri broke his own Italian record of 22.95m set in May and the meet record of 22.61m set by American Joe Kovacs in 2022.
Salmon came on strong late in the women’s 400m hurdles to place third in 53.99 seconds as Femke Bol of the Netherlands won in 52.45 seconds, holding off the American Anna Cockrell- 53.71 seconds.
Janieve Russell was seventh in 55.94 seconds and Andrenette Knight eighth in 56.70 seconds.
Romaine Beckford was fourth in the men’s high jump, clearing 2.22m after early struggles; the Olympic Games finalist needed all three attempts to clear the opening height of 2.12m. He cleared 2.17m at the first try and then needed two tries to get over 2.22m.
Roshawn Clarke led to the eighth barrier before he was thrown off by a collision and lost momentum and finished fifth in 49.08 seconds, just ahead of compatriot Malik James-King who was timed in 49.37 seconds.
Brazil’s Alison dos Santos won the Diamond trophy with 47.93 seconds, beating Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba- 48.20 seconds and Estonia’s Rasmas Magi- 48.26 seconds.
Michael Campbell finished fifth in the men’s 100m invitational, running 10.40 seconds, as Kanya’s Ferdinand Omanyala won with 10.07 seconds.
-Paul A Reid