Nugent to take Diamond League form to Italy

FOLLOWING HER spectacular performance on Sunday in Poland, sprint hurdler Ackera Nugent will renew rivalry with the United States’ Masai Russell on Friday at the Wanda Diamond League Golden Gala in Italy, Rome, where 11 Jamaicans are down to compete.

After hitting a hurdle in Paris, Nugent has rebounded with a vengeance, twice breaking the meet record of 12.34 seconds at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland, clocking a preliminary round 12.29 before a 12.28 in the final.

In Italy, she faces Russell, the freshly minted Olympic champion and world leader, with 12.25.

The American was fourth in Poland.

The field will include Cyrene Mayela Samba of France, who was the silver medallist in Paris, and fourth-place finisher, Nadine Visser of the Netherlands.

After pulling out of the Silesia Diamond League, Kishane Thompson, the Olympic Games silver medallist and world leader over 100 metres with 9.77 seconds, will contest his first race since Paris.

He will line up against a stacked field, including Fred Kerley of the United States, the Olympic Games bronze medallist and his teammate, Christian Coleman.

Others in the field include Ferdinand Omanayla of Kenya, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, the Olympic Games 200-metre champion, Marcell Jacobs of Italy, and Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, who is coming off a third-place finish in a personal best 9.89 seconds in Poland.

Three Jamaicans led by Diamond League leader, Rushell Clayton will contest the women’s 400 metres hurdles. Countrywomen Shiann Salmon and Janieve Russell will join Clayton in chase of Femke Bol of the Netherlands and Anna Cockrell of the United States.

Omar McLeod and Orlando Bennett will contest the men’s 110-metre hurdles, Olympic champion Roje Stona will renew rivalry with Mykola Alekna of Lithuania, the silver medallist in Paris, and Kristgen Ceh of Slovakia.

Olympic Games bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell will contest the men’s shot put while Olympic high jump finalist, Romaine Beckford, coming off a second-place finish and a personal best of 2.29 metres in Poland, will contest the men’s high jump.