Thomas-Dodd third in Poland

JAMAICAN ATHLETES found the going tough at yesterday’s Irena Szewińska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet, as Olympian Suzan Dodd-Thomas was the only Jamaican to finish among the top three, placing third in the women’s shot put.

Coming off a win a week ago in Arizona, Thomas-Dodd – plagued by foul throws after her first three attempts – finally got her first mark on the fourth try, producing a distance of 18.49 metres. The event was won by Fanny Roos of Sweden, who set a meet record with her winning distance of 19.20, erasing the 24-year-old mark of 19.10 held by Krystywa Zabawska of Poland. Maggie Ewen of the United States tied the old record with her second-place finish.

In the men’s event, Olympic Games bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, coming off a second-place finish at the Rabat Diamond League, failed to fire yesterday as he had to settle for an eighth-place finish with a mark of 20.72. World leader Payton Otterdahl of the United States, who had also got the better of Campbell in Rabat, made it back-to-back wins with a heave of 21.59.

On the track, Crystal Morrison clocked a season’s best 12.97 seconds in the women’s 100-metre hurdles for fourth, Lafranz Campbell ran 13.75 for fifth in the 110-metre hurdles, while Adelle Tracey crossed the 1500-metre tape in 4:08.08, also for fifth place.