Scott earns second Diamond League win

OLYMPIAN TRIPLE jumper Jordan Scott picked up Jamaica’s only win at yesterday’s Oslo Bislett Games, the sixth stop of the Wanda Diamond League, in fine style—producing a personal best of 17.34 metres to capture the event.

Scott, who turned the tables on Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo—second with 17.06m—after losing to him in Shaoxing, China, praised his coach for the win.

“My coach said to me I needed to get one in early as it was going to get cooler as the night wore on, so I was pleased to execute that feat on my first jump,” said Scott.

“It did cool down, which made it harder for jumpers. But to jump my personal best so early in the season is pleasing, as it shows I am going in the right direction,” added Scott, who is looking forward to the next Diamond League meet in Paris.

There was not so much luck for Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts, who fell just short of producing her third Diamond League win at the Bislett Games in Oslo yesterday despite a solid showing.

Ricketts claimed silver in the women’s triple jump, leaping 14.57 metres, just behind eventual winner Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba (14.72).

Jasmine Moore of the United States finished third with an effort measured at 14.41.

Olympic gold medalist, Thea LaFond of Dominica, was fifth with her jump of 14.26 while Ricketts’ countrywoman, Ackelia Smith, showed improvement this season with a leap measured at the same distance.

However, it was a forgettable day for Barbados’ World Championship bronze medalist Sada Williams, who finished at the back of the pack in the women’s 400 metres in a time of 50.94 seconds.

The event was won by Isabella Whittaker of the US in 49.58 seconds, with Henriette Jaeger of Norway (49.62) and Amber Anning of Great Britain (50.24), finishing second and third, respectively.

While Williams won’t want to remember yesterday, the same cannot be said of Saint Lucia’s Olympic track queen Julien Alfred, who eased to victory in her opening 100 metres of the season.

The 24-year-old crossed the finish line in 10.89 seconds, comfortably ahead of Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou Smith in 11.00, while Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain was third in 11.08.

After a slow start, Alfred powered past the field in the middle phase of the race to record an easy victory and a winning start to her Diamond League title defence.

Cuba’s Reynier Mena was also in winners’ row, copping gold in the men’s 200 metres in a time of 20.20 seconds.

Timothe Mumenthaler of Switzerland was second in 20.27 seconds, while bronze went to Canada’s Andre de Grasse in 20.33 seconds.

Hometown hero Karsten Warholm gave the packed crowd at the 60th edition of the Bislett Games the performance they craved, setting a 300m hurdles world best of 32.67, becoming the first athlete to better 33 seconds in this event.

Racing against the US athlete who succeeded him as Olympic 400m hurdles champion last year, Rai Benjamin, the 29-year-old Norwegian smashed his own world best of 33.05, set at this season’s Diamond League opener in Xiamen.

Benjamin, two lanes inside his rival in lane five, appeared to have the race in his grasp as he moved past Warholm into the final straight, but he faltered over the final 50 metres as Warholm drove home remorselessly.

Benjamin nevertheless clocked a personal best of 33.22 in second place, finishing ahead of Brazil’s 2022 400m hurdles world champion Alison dos Santos, who recorded 33.38.

It was the first time that Warholm, Benjamin and Dos Santos had all met in this discipline following its introduction as an official event earlier this year.