Ackeem Blake & Tajay Gayle Crowned Diamond League Champs

Ackeem Blake and Tajay Gayle were today crowned Diamond League champions for 2024 on day one of the two day finale in Brussels.

Blake competing in his first ever Diamond League final, won the men’s 100m in 9.93 seconds, destroying a quality field that included two former world champions Christian Coleman who was second in 10 seconds flat and Fred Kerley third 10.01

Olympic champion Julien Alfred won the women’s 100m in 10.88 seconds, she beat Dina Asher Smith into second in 10.92 and third Marie Jose Ta Lu

Shacarri Richardson finished sixth.

Gayle the 2019 world champion, produced one big jump on his third attempt to win the Men’s Long Jump with 8.28m… Carey McLeod was fifth with 7.85m, while Olympic silver medallist Wayne Pinnock was sixth with 7.43m

Natoya Goule Topping finished a creditable third in the women’s 800m in 1:58.94 seconds as Kenya’s Mary Moraa won in a season best 1:56.56 seconds

Shanieka Ricketts had to settle for second in the women’s Triple Jump with 14.22m, while Ackelia Smith finished third 14.11m

Fedrick Daces landed 61.63m for fifth in the men’s Discus as Olympic champion Matthew Denny won with a new lifetime best, Meet record and national record 69.96m.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the 400m Invitational in 49.11 seconds as Stacy-Ann Williams finished second in 50.56 seconds and Stephanie Ann McPherson fourth 51.24 seconds

McLaughlin-Levrone says she’s just having fun

McLaughlin-Levrone.

Nine more Jamaicans will be in action on Saturday’s final day of the meet, among them Ackera Nugent, Daniel Williams, Jermaine Beckford, Roshawn Clarke, Malik James King, Michael Campbell, Rajindra Campbell, Shian Salmon, Andrennette Knight and Janieve Russell.