Williams, Parchment get onto Diamond League scoreboard

SPRINT HURDLERS Danielle Williams and Hansle Parchment bagged third-place finishes at yesterday’s Wanda Diamond League in Suzhou, China.

Williams, the world champion in the women’s 100-metre hurdles, clocked 12.74 seconds to finish behind Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, 12.63, and World Indoor 60-metre hurdles champion, Davynne Charlton, 12.64.

Camacho-Quinn was winning her second meet of the Diamond League season, while Williams was going better than her fourth-place finish last week.

The other Jamaican in the event, Megan Tapper, posted a season-best 12.83 for seventh.

Olympic 110-metre hurdles champion Parchment improved on his fifth-place finish from the previous week to finish third in a season’s best 13.26 seconds. Daniel Roberts of the United States made it back-to-back wins, capturing the event in 13.12 seconds, while Shunsuke Izumiya of Japan was second in 13.23 seconds.

The next best placing by a Jamaican at the meet came in the men’s long jump, where Carey McLeod took fourth with 7.93 metres, as Marquis Dendy of the United States won with 8.05 metres. Tajay Gayle was ninth in the men’s long jump, with a distance of 7.56 metres.

Ackeem Blake was fifth in the men’s 100 metres, clocking 10.23 seconds, while Rohan Watson was sixth in 10.29.

Akani Simbine won the event in 10.01 seconds, the South African upstaging the United States’ Christian Coleman, who clocked 10.04.

The United States’ Fred Kerley was third in 10.11.

Stephenie-Ann McPherson ended sixth in the women’s 400 metres in 53.75 seconds, behind Marileidy Paulino’s 50.89 seconds.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd ended eighth in the women’s shot put with a heave of 18.52 metres. Christoffe Bryan was eighth in the men’s high jump, clearing 2.16 metres.