Jamaica’s podium push falls short as Ultimate Championships end in Budapest
Ashanti Moore
Key Points(5)
- Jamaica’s bid for more podium success at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships ended without any on Sunday, with Sanique Walker and Ashanti Moore producing personal-best performances but the country unable to convert six final-day appearances into a top-three finish.
- Walker and Moore were among four Jamaicans who finished fifth, while Bryan Levell and the mixed 4x400-meter relay team placed sixth and Rushell Clayton was eighth as the championships concluded at the National Athletics Center.
- The results left Jamaica with a quiet finish to a competition that brought together 381 athletes from 65 federations across 28 disciplines and featured a record US$10 million prize purse.
- Walker breaks new ground in the hurdles Walker delivered perhaps Jamaica’s most encouraging performance of the day in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, lowering her personal best to 53.61 seconds for fifth place.
- The Commonwealth Games champion improved on the 53.77 seconds she ran in the semifinals and moved to eighth on Jamaica’s all-time list.
Jamaica’s bid for more podium success at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships ended without any on Sunday, with Sanique Walker and Ashanti Moore producing personal-best performances but the country unable to convert six final-day appearances into a top-three finish.
Walker and Moore were among four Jamaicans who finished fifth, while Bryan Levell and the mixed 4x400-meter relay team placed sixth and Rushell Clayton was eighth as the championships concluded at the National Athletics Center.
The results left Jamaica with a quiet finish to a competition that brought together 381 athletes from 65 federations across 28 disciplines and featured a record US$10 million prize purse.
Walker breaks new ground in the hurdles
Walker delivered perhaps Jamaica’s most encouraging performance of the day in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, lowering her personal best to 53.61 seconds for fifth place.
The Commonwealth Games champion improved on the 53.77 seconds she ran in the semifinals and moved to eighth on Jamaica’s all-time list.
American Jasmine Jones captured the title in a season-best 52.45 seconds, followed by Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova in 52.68 seconds and American Anna Cockrell in 53.09 seconds.
Clayton finished eighth in 54.32 seconds.
Moore’s personal best still not enough
Moore ran 22.34 seconds to finish fifth in the women’s 200 meters final.
The Jamaican had entered the final with momentum after clocking a personal best 22.30 seconds for second in her semifinal, lowering her previous lifetime best of 22.31 seconds, set at the same venue a year ago.
But the final belonged to American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who completed the sprint double in a stunning world-leading and personal-best 21.47 seconds despite a 0.6 meters-per-second headwind.
Gabby Thomas was second in 21.77 seconds, with Kayla White third in 21.93 seconds.
Jefferson-Wooden’s performance was the fourth-fastest ever recorded by a woman and the fastest ever run into a headwind.
Jamaica’s Lavanya Williams, who had reached the 100-meter final on Saturday, did not advance from the 200-meter semifinals after finishing seventh in 23.10 seconds.
Levell sixth as Bednarek completes sprint sweep
Bryan Levell was sixth in the men’s 200-meter final in 20.07 seconds after advancing with a 20.08-second semifinal run.
Kenneth Bednarek completed the American sprint sweep, adding the 200-meter crown to his 100-meter title with a world-leading and personal-best 19.52 seconds.
Botswana’s world champion Letsile Tebogo took second in a season-best 19.76 seconds, while American Courtney Lindsey was third in 19.79 seconds, also a season best.
Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor failed to reach the final after placing sixth in his semifinal in 20.36 seconds.
Beckford and Smith miss podium by inches
Romaine Beckford also came within range of a medal in the men’s high jump but settled for fifth after clearing 2.26 meters.
Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi won the title with a world-leading 2.37m, ahead of American JuVaughn Harrison at 2.30m and Mexico’s Erick Portillo at 2.26m.
Ackelia Smith likewise finished fifth in the women’s triple jump with a best of 14.23m.
Senegal’s Saly Sarr claimed the title with 15.06m, while Cuba’s Davisleydi Velazco and Leyanis Perez Hernandez took second and third with 15.04m and 14.90m, respectively.
Mixed relay closes Jamaican campaign
Jamaica’s final-day relay effort also ended outside the podium places.
Zandrion Barnes, Shana-Kaye Anderson, Assinie Wilson and Stacey Ann Williams combined for 3:11.46 minutes in the mixed 4x400m relay, good for sixth place.
The United States completed a sweep of the relay titles with 3:08.32 minutes. Great Britain was second in 3:09.40 minutes, followed by the Netherlands in 3:09.57 minutes.
Jamaica’s final-day results therefore produced plenty of near-misses and personal milestones, but no additional podium finish as the inaugural Ultimate Championships came to a close.
