The Pryce is right in London

APPEARING IN her first race as a professional, Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce was on fire yesterday at the London Diamond League with a breathtaking performance in the women’s 400 metres.

In what was the last meet before the Olympic Games, she showed that she was in impressive form ahead of the big show, posting 48.57 seconds to win and regain the top spot in the world in the event.

Her winning time was also a new national record in the event, bettering her previous best of 48.89, done when winning at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in June.

The Jamaican showed no nerves in her first professional race. Running out of lane six, she was off to a fast start and maintained that form to the end, easily turning back European champion and Budapest World Championships silver medallist, Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland, who had to settle for second in a personal best and national record 48.90. There was also a national record for third-place finisher Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands with her 49.58.

Roshawn Clarke, competing in his first race since losing his national title to Malik James-King in June, clocked a season best 47.63 for second in the men’s 400-metre hurdles. The very busy Alison dos Santos of Brazil, the world number-two in the event this season, won in 47.18, while Doudi Abakar of Qatar took third in a personal best 47.72. British Virgin Islands Kyron McMaster went more quickly than he has all season, but had to settle for fourth in 47.81.

Rushell Clayton lost for just the second time this season in the women’s 400-metre hurdles, ending third in 53.24 seconds.

The loss could be understood with Femke Bol of the Netherlands, fresh off her first sub 51-second clocking a few days earlier in Switzerland, winning in a meet record 51.30. Shamier Little of the United States was second in a season’s best 52.78.

Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight was fourth in a season’s best 53.69, while Shiann Salmon was seventh in 54.49.

Ackeem Blake and Yohan Blake failed to sparkle in the men’s 100 metres where Noah Lyles of the United States was an impressive winner. Lyles was an easy winner in the event, posting a personal best 9.81 seconds. Akani Simbine of South Africa was second in a season’s best 9.87, with Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, third in a personal best 9.88.

Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain and her countryman Matthew Hudson-Smith, along with their country’s female 4x100-metre relay team, had world-leading times at the meet.

Hodgkinson won the women’s 800 metres in 1:54.61, a meet and national record. Teammates Jemma Reekie, 1:55.61, and Georgia Bell, 1:56.28, finished second and third in personal bests. Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Topping was fourth in a season’s best 1:56. 83.

Hudson-Smith, the Budapest World Championships silver medallist in the men’s 400 metres, posted a personal best 43.74 seconds to win ahead of the United States’ Vernon Norwood, 44.10, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, 44.13.

Great Britain 4x100 women’s relay quartet, with a lightning start from Dina Asher-Smith, romped to victory in 41.55, a meet and area record. France was second in 42.10.

The United States Gabrielle Thomas, the fastest woman in the 200 metres this season, had to pull out all the stops to get by St Lucia’s Julien Alfred to win the 200 metres in a meet record, 21.82 seconds. Alfred produced a national record, 21.86, for her second place while Asher-Smith’s 22.07 for third was a season’s best.