Diamond League | McLeod leads strong Jamaican showing in Shanghai

World and Olympic 110m hurdles champion, Omar McLeod, dropped a world-leading 13.16 seconds, to secure his third straight win at the Shanghai Diamond League, on Saturday at the Shanghai Stadium.

McLeod got the better of Spain’s Orlando Ortega, 13.17, in a tight finish, with Russia’s Sergey Shubenkov, 13.27, taking third place. 

The other Jamaicans, Commonwealth champion Ronald Levy, 13.33, and Hansle Parchment, 13.44, finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Commonwealth champion Janieve Russell continued her excellent start to the season, with her best ever time in the 400m hurdles, 53.78, for a close second place finish.

Russell and American Dalilah Muhammad, 53.77, were neck-to-neck in a mad sprint to the finish line, but the Olympic champion proved too strong for the Jamaican. 

Canadian Sage Watson, 55.23 was third, while Jamaica’s Leah Nugent was sixth in 56.54. 

Commonwealth shot put champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd’s, 18.70m, landed her in second spot in the event, behind China’s Gong Lijiao, 19.99m (world leading), while Shanieka Ricketts, 14.55m and Kimberly Williams, 14.35m, were second and third in the triple jump, behind Colombian Caterine Ibarguen, who went 14.80m for the win. 

Javon Francis had a rough night in the 400m event, crossing the line in ninth position, in a time of 47.06, with Bahamian Steven Gardiner rewriting the meet record, with a 43.99 seconds run. Botswana’s Isaac Makwala, 44.23 took second place in the highly-anticipated clash. 

Damar Forbes’ 7.99m was a season best but he could only manage a sixth place finish in the long jump event, which was won by China’s Shi Yuhao, 8.43m.

Shericka Jackson, 22.36 seconds, was again solid in the 200m, where she ran third behind the amazing Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who posted a meet record and season best of 22.06 with Dafne Schippers taking second place in 22.34.