More than 20 Jamaican athletes, led by by national 100 metres champions Kishane Thompson and Tina Clayton, will be in action at tomorrow’s Gyulai István Memorial World Continental Tour Gold meet in Budapest, Hungary.
In what is a warm-up meet before his clash with the United States quartet of Kenneth Bednarek, Courtney Lindsay, Trayvon Bromell, and Noah Lyles at Saturday’s Wanda Silesia Diamond League, Thompson, the world leader in the men’s 100m with 9.75 seconds, will be one of three Jamaicans contesting the event tomorrow. He will be joined by Ackeem Blake and Rohan Watson.
After his easy win at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, in 9.85 before anchoring the Jamaica men’s 4x100m relay to victory in 37.80 seconds at the London Diamond League, Thompson will be hoping for another top-notch performance ahead of Saturday’s high-profile meet. Also in the line-up tomorrow will be South Africa’s Akani Simbine, the only man to defeat Thompson so far this season, and Ronnie Baker of the United States.
The top three finishers at the National Senior Championships — Tina Clayton, Shericka Jackson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — will renew battle at the meet.
Clayton, who clocked a personal-best 10.81 to win, will be hoping to rebound from her fourth-place finish at the Prefontaine Classic and improve on last year’s showing at this meet, where she finished eighth. Jackson, second at the National Championships in 10.88, and Fraser-Pryce, third in 10.91, will both be competing in the event for the first time since the championships.
Jackson and Fraser-Pryce were second and third, respectively, in the 100m at the 2023 World Championships held at this venue and will be aiming to continue their good form here. While Jackson was a member of the women’s 4x100m relay team that finished third at the London Diamond League, this will be Fraser-Pryce’s first competition since the National Senior Championships, and it will be interesting to see what she produces.
Krystal Sloley, third at this meet last year and with a season’s best of 11.16, will be the other Jamaican in the race. Veteran Marie-Josée Ta Lou Smith of Côte d’Ivoire, with a season’s best of 10.90, and the United States’ Jacious Sears, with a best of 10.85, should make this a very competitive affair.
After a break following her win in Eugene, where she clocked a season’s best 12.32s, Ackera Nugent will contest the women’s 100m hurdles. She will be joined by countrywoman Amoi Brown, third at the National Senior Championships in 12.67, along with the United States’ Alia Armstrong (12.44) and Nadine Visser of the Netherlands (12.49).
Ashanti Moore, in sparkling form in Europe after a personal-best 22.40 to book her individual spot in the 200m at the Tokyo World Championships and dipping under 11 seconds for the first time with a 10.94 win in the 100m, will contest the women’s 200m. She will face the likes of Nigeria’s Favour Ofili (21.96) and Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (22.16).
The other Jamaican female on the track will be Shiann Salmon, contesting the 400m hurdles as she looks to improve on her season’s best of 54.62. The unbeaten Femke Bol, with a season’s best of 51.95, and NCAA Division 1 champion Savannah Sutherland of Canada (52.46) will lead the charge here.
Olympian Ackelia Smith will compete in the women’s long jump as she seeks to improve on her season’s best of 6.70m. The top two entrants are Americans Claire Bryant (6.96m) and Quanesha Burks (6.90m).
McDonald seeks automatic qualification mark in 400m
Time is running out for national 400m champion Rusheen McDonald, as he hopes to hit the automatic qualifying standard for Tokyo when he contests the event tomorrow. With a season’s best of 44.89, he is just four hundredths of a second outside the qualifying mark and will be aiming to achieve it here. After failing to finish in his last two outings, former national champion Sean Bailey will be hoping for better luck in Budapest.
National champion Orlando Bennett will contest the men’s 110m hurdles, along with Tokyo Olympic champion Hansle Parchment, while in the men’s 200m, Bryan Levell and Adrian Kerr will represent Jamaica.
In the field events, Rajindra Campbell will compete in the men’s shot put, Raymond Richards in the men’s high jump, and Carey McLeod and Tajay Gayle in the long jump.
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