7 months ago
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After three days of competition at the National Stadium, sprint hurdler Danielle Williams secured Jamaica’s only Grand Slam title across 12 race groups in the inaugural staging of Grand Slam Track (GST).
Williams became the first Jamaican as well as the first challenger to win a Grand Slam title when she finished atop the points standings in the women’s short hurdles race group.
She raced to 11.54 seconds in the 100m, beating out compatriot Ackera Nugent, who finished second in the race in 11.57, and Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, third in 11.73.
Williams finished the competition with 20 points on her way to the grand prize of US$100,000 with her win in the 100m race yesterday, adding to her second-place finish in the 100m hurdles on Saturday.
“I’m pretty speedy,” Williams said after her win in the 100m.
“I have a lot of speed. I don’t run the flat events a lot, but I know I have a lot of speed, so it was just fun to come out here.”
America’s Tia Jones finished second in the points standings with 15, just ahead of Nugent’s tally of 13.
Brazilian superstar Alisson Dos Santos was the second athlete to finish on a maximum 24 points after he dominated the men’s long hurdles race group.
Dos Santos followed up on his 400m hurdles win on Friday with a second win in the men’s flat 400m yesterday in a close affair.
His time of 45.52 was just enough to hold off America’s Chris Robinson, who clocked a personal-best 45.54, and Caleb Dean, also of the USA, 45.68.
Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke was fourth in the 400m in 45.73 but did just enough to maintain second place in the points standings, tallying 13 points at the end.
In the women’s category, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stamped her quality, following her dominant win in the 400m hurdles, with another impressive performance, winning the flat 400m in 50.32. She finished ahead of Andrenette Knight of Jamaica, 52.09, and USA’s Dalilah Muhammad, 52.21.
Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton did not finish the race. She pulled up with an injury in the opening metres of the race.
The win for McLaughlin-Levrone also meant she topped the points standings with a maximum 24 points, beating out Muhammad’s 14, and Knight, who finished third with 13.
In the men’s sprint hurdles race group, French hurdler Sasha Zhoya took home the Grand Slam title, finishing first in the 100m in 10.55.
His performance was an improvement on his second-place finish in the 110m hurdles and saw him ending on 20 points.
The American duo of Dylan Beard and Cordell Tinch were second and third with 18 and 12 points, respectively.
Jamaica’s best performer in the race group, Omar McLeod, finished seventh with six points.
In the women’s short sprints, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden was the queen of the meet as she followed up her 100m win with the 200m win as well, cementing her spot at the top with 24 points.
She raced to 23.46 to edge out compatriots Jenna Prandini, 23.56, and Jacious Sears, 23.79.
The second meet of the GST league will see the competition moving to Miami at the Ansin Sports Complex. The meet is set for May 2-4.
English (US) ·