1 year ago
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NINE JAMAICANS, led by national 400 metres champion and record holder Nickisha Pryce, will step up their preparations for the Paris Olympic Games when they compete in the London Wanda Diamond League today.
Pryce, the second-fastest woman this season in the one-lap event with her personal best of 48.89 seconds, will face her sternest test of the season as she makes her Diamond League debut. The Jamaican’s toughest challenge should come from world number three, Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland who has a season’s best 48.98. Both are the top two going into the Olympics as world leader Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States, with 48.75, will only contest the 400m hurdles in Paris. Amber Anning of the United States with a season’s best 49.51 and Liekle Klaver of the Netherlands with a best of 49.64 will also be hoping for big performances in the event.
Three Jamaicans, led by national champion Rushell Clayton, will contest the women’s 400 metres hurdles. They will face Femke Bol of the Netherlands, the second-fastest woman ever in the event. On July 14 at a World Continental meet in Switzerland, Bol won the event in 50.95 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder, is the only other woman to go under 51 seconds for the 400m hurdles.
Clayton, with a personal best of 52.51, is the third-fastest woman over the barriers this season and her clash with Bol will be a big test for the Jamaican. Shiann Salmon with a best of 53.71 and Andrenette Knight, who just missed out on an Olympic Games individual spot after her fourth-place finish at the national championships, will also contest the event.
National 800m champion Natoya Goule-Toppin will be aiming to better her season’s best of 1:59.06 in the two-lap event. Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson is the fastest in the field with 1:55.78. Also down to face the starter is Hodgkinson’s teammate Jemme Reekie with a season’s best 1:57.4 and Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda with a best of 1:57.56.
DEFEAT
After his defeat at the national championships by Malik James-King, national record holder Roshawn Clarke will compete in his first 400m hurdles event since that defeat. With a season’s best 48.04, he will face world number two Alison dos Santos of Brazil. The latter is coming off a good third-place finish at the Paris Diamond League. Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, with a season’s best of 48.05, and American CJ Allen with a best of 47.81 should make the event a very interesting affair.
Zandrion Barnes in the men’s 400 metres and Ackeem Blake and Yohan Blake in the men’s 100 metres are the other Jamaicans down to compete at the meet.
The 100m field will be strong. World 100m champion Noah Lyles of the United States with a season’s best 9.83 will be the man to beat. Also in the event are Letsile Tebogo of Botswana who finished second to Lyles over 100m at last year’s World Championships, Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and South Africa’s Akani Simbine.
Selected events (Jamaica time)
8.04 a.m.: Women’s 400m hurdles
8.33 a.m.: Women’s 400m
9.08 a.m.: Women’s 800m
9.32 a.m.: Men’s 400m
9.42 a.m.: Women’s 200m
9.52 a.m.: Men’s 100m
English (US) ·