Fraser-Pryce closes season in style

Tokyo 2020 100m metres silver medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce continued her impressive form in the event, after clocking a new meet record of 10.78 seconds to win at the Gala Dei Castelli meet in Switzerland yesterday, as she brought the curtain down on an exceptional campaign.

Fraser-Pryce, who was one of two Jamaicans to win at the meet, easily got the better of the Swiss pair of Mujinga Kambundji, 10.99 and Ajla Del Ponte 11.11 seconds, as Jamaican Natasha Morrison finished fourth in 11.17 seconds.

This was Fraser-Pryce’s 13 straight 100m run under 11.00 seconds, her most in a single season. Her next best campaign, in terms of sub-11.00 seconds clockings, came in 2019, when she registered 11 times faster than 11.00 seconds.

Meanwhile, Olympic Games 800m finalist Natoya Goule was the other Jamaican winner at the meet, after taking top honours in 1:58 20 minutes, to get the better of the United States’ Chanelle Pryce, who was second in 1:59.75 minutes. It was Goule’s second win in her last three races.

Another Olympic finalist, Christopher Taylor, also ran third in the men’s 400 metres, after clocking 45.70 seconds.

There was also success for triple jump standout Shanieka Ricketts at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Zagreb, Croatia.

Ricketts, the World Championships silver medal winner, won the event with a mark of 14.77 metres and in the process erased the old meet record of 14.58 metres, as Neja Filipic of Slovania took second place with 14.37 metres.

Five other Jamaicans had top three finishes at the meet with Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson and Olympic bronze medal winner Ronald Levy taking second place in their respective events.

Jackson clocked 22.30 seconds in the women’s 200 metres, which was won by Namibia’s 18-year-old Olympic silver medallist Christine Mboma, who clocked a meet record of 22.04 seconds.

OLYMPIC CHAMPION

Levy stopped the clock at 13.11 seconds in the men’s 110 metres hurdles, as Olympic champion Hansle Parchment took third in 13.12 seconds. The United States’ Devon Allen continued his good late season form, after producing a personal best 12.99 seconds to win the event.

Janieve Russell, 55.45 seconds, the Olympic finalist, was third in the women’s 400m hurdles, while there was also a third-place finish for Shadae Lawrence in the women’s discus, with a distance of 60.80 metres.