Nugent maintains top hurdles form in Europe

National record holder Ackera Nugent maintained her good form in Europe at the weekend with a win in the women’s 100 metres hurdles at a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in Zagreb, Croatia.

Competing at the Sport Park Miadest Stadium, Nugent, in an excellent warmup for this weekend’s Diamond League finals in Brussels, Belgium, ran away from her rivals to capture the event in 12.55 seconds (-0.5 metres per second wind). Cindy Sember of Great Britain was second in 12.67 while third went to former world record holder, American Kendra Harrison, in 12.78. Jamaica’s Britany Anderson, the former national record holder in the event, was sixth in 12.91.

Nugent recently scored victories in Diamond League meets in Rome and Silesia and will be a hot favourite to win this weekend in Brussels.

Two other Jamaicans won events at the meet. Stacey Ann Williams, a semi-finalist in the women’s 400m at the recent Paris Olympic Games, won the one-lap event in a personal best 50.00 seconds, getting the better of Henriette Jaegar of Norway (50.22) and Shamier Little of the United States, who was third in 50.58. Williams went out hard and was clearly ahead off the final bend. Jaeger used a strong finish to close the gap but Williams held on.

SUCCESS

Jamaica’s other success came in a field event as Shawn-D Thompson captured the men’s long jump with a distance of 7.99m, the same mark awarded to second-place finisher Anvier Anvaron of Uzbekistan. Roko Farhas of Croatia was third with 7.90m.

At the same meet there were second-place finishes for Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shashalee Forbes, while there was a third-place for Hansle Parchment.

Goule-Toppin clocked 1:57. 43 in the women’s 800m behind winner Nelly Chepchirchir of Kenya. Chepchirchir crossed the line in 1:57.00.

Forbes did 11.23 seconds for the runner-up spot in the women’s 100m, as Maria Bass Bittaye of Gambia won in 11.13, with third going to Jenna Prandini of the United States in 11.30.

Parchment clocked 13.25 for his third place in the men’s 110m hurdles. Rachid Muratake of Japan won the event in 13.14, ahead of Daniel Roberts of the United States, who was second in 13.15.

Rajindra Campbell also had a third-place finish in the men’s shot put with a heave of 22.31m, as Olympic Games champion Ryan Crouser of the United States won with 22.93m.

Olympic Games gold medallist Roje Stona was fourth in the men’s discus with a throw of 65.93m.