Acid test for Tia Clayton in Zurich 100m

Olympic Games 100 metres finalist Tia Clayton heads 14 Jamaicans listed for the 14th Weltklasse Zurich League on Thursday in Switzerland.

Clayton had her first Diamond League win at the Silesia meeting a week ago where she was involved in a close finish with Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Cote d’Ivoire. Both were credited with the same time, a wind-aided 10.83 seconds.

The 20 year-old Clayton will face another acid test on Thursday as she not only renews rivalry with Ta Lou- Smith, but will also face Paris Olympics 100m gold medallist, Julien Alfred of St Lucia and silver medallist Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States, the two fastest women this season with 10.72 and 10.71, respectively. Both will be making their first appearance since the Olympics.

Also in the line-up will be Great Britain’s Diana Asher-Smith, who is coming off a win at the Lausanne Diamond League, where she posted a season’s best 10.88.

There are still some places to be decided for the grand finals scheduled for September 13-14 in Brussels. Clayton has the eighth and final spot, with 12 points in the 100m.

400m hurdles clash

Four Jamaicans, Diamond League leader Rushell Clayton, Andrenette Knight, Janieve Russell, and Olympic Games finalist Shiann Salmon, who have all booked their final spots for Brussels, will be involved in the women’s 400m hurdles. American Anna Cockrell, the surprise silver medallist in Paris, will be hoping to make it two wins in a row following her win in Rome last Friday.

With world leader Ackera Nugent taking a break before the grand final, World champion Danielle Williams will be the only Jamaican in the women’s 100m hurdles. Williams, who posted a season’s best of 12.37 seconds when finishing third in Silesia, will take on Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, the Olympic Games bronze medallist; Olympic champion Masai Russell of the United States; and her teammate Grace Stark, a finalist in Paris.

Paris bronze medallist Rasheed Broadbell will face Olympic champion Grant Holloway of the United States in the 110m hurdles. The Jamaican defeated Holloway at the Laussane meet but the Paris gold medallist reversed the placing a few days later in Zurich. Broadbell will be looking to clinch a final spot in Brussels. He is just two places out of the finals in tenth spot. Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment, who has already booked his spot in the finals, will also be in action along with Olympic silver medallist Daniel Roberts of the United States.

The other Jamaican involved in track action will be Roshawn Clarke in the men’s 400m hurdles. Clarke, who failed to finish in Paris, is just one place from booking a spot in the Brussels finals. He is ninth, with 12 points. He will face Norway’s Karsten Warholm, the Paris silver medallist, and bronze medallist Allison Dos Santos of Brazil.

Wayne Pinnock, the silver medallist in the men’s long jump in Paris, will renew rivalry with gold medallist Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece, who used his final attempt to beat Pinnock at the Silesia meet. Tajay Gayle and Carey McLeod will also contest the event.

Two other Jamaicans are down to contest field events. Lamara Distin will contest the women’s high jump, and Rajindra Campbell, the Olympic Games bronze medallist, will compete in the shot put.