Seville, Pryce put Jamaica on the podium as Budapest Championships reach final day
Key Points(5)
- Jamaica’s leading sprint stars delivered two podium finishes on Saturday, with Oblique Seville taking men’s 100m second place and Nickisha Pryce securing women’s 400m third place at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
- Seville comes close as Bednarek produces the decisive finish Oblique Seville’s outstanding season added another major result on Saturday, although the reigning world and Diamond League champion had to settle for second pace in a fiercely contested men’s 100m final.
- The Jamaican appeared to have the race under control for much of the opening 70 meters after a superb start.
- But American Kenneth Bednarek produced a powerful finish to overtake Seville and claim the title in a season’s best 9.85 seconds.
- Seville crossed the line in 9.90 seconds, matching the time that had carried him through the semifinals, while compatriot Ackeem Blake’s campaign had ended earlier after he finished eighth in his semifinal in 10.21 seconds.
Jamaica’s leading sprint stars delivered two podium finishes on Saturday, with Oblique Seville taking men’s 100m second place and Nickisha Pryce securing women’s 400m third place at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Seville comes close as Bednarek produces the decisive finish
Oblique Seville’s outstanding season added another major result on Saturday, although the reigning world and Diamond League champion had to settle for second pace in a fiercely contested men’s 100m final.
The Jamaican appeared to have the race under control for much of the opening 70 meters after a superb start. But American Kenneth Bednarek produced a powerful finish to overtake Seville and claim the title in a season’s best 9.85 seconds.
Seville crossed the line in 9.90 seconds, matching the time that had carried him through the semifinals, while compatriot Ackeem Blake’s campaign had ended earlier after he finished eighth in his semifinal in 10.21 seconds.
American Ronnie Baker completed the podium in 9.93 seconds.
Seville, who had arrived in Budapest fresh from winning the Diamond League title in Brussels, acknowledged that Bednarek had made the difference in the final.
“I wanted to run faster but Kenny got the best out of this race,” Seville said, while congratulating the American champion.
“It has been a long season and I am tired at this point,” he added. “I will take time off now and I know what I’ve got to improve for next year. I want to keep the world champion title next year.”
The silver medal extended Seville’s impressive campaign but also underscored the narrow margins separating the world’s leading sprinters.
Pryce adds 400m third place to Jamaica’s Saturday haul
Earlier, Nickisha Pryce had opened Jamaica’s podium account in the first track final of the day, producing a strong third-place performance in the women’s 400m.
Running from the outside lane, the national record holder clocked 49.56 seconds to secure third place in a high-quality final.
Dominican Republic star Marileidy Paulino, the pre-race favorite, delivered a decisive closing stretch to win in 49.07 seconds after moving from fourth place over the final 120 meters. Norway’s Henriette Jaeger finished second in 49.28 seconds.
Jamaica’s women miss out on sprint medals
Jamaica came close to another podium in the women’s 100m, but Jonielle Smith and Tina Clayton were unable to break into the top three in a final packed with global sprint talent.
Smith was Jamaica’s best finisher, placing fourth in 10.94 seconds, while Clayton, the newly crowned Diamond League champion, recorded the same time for fifth. Lavanya Williams finished seventh in 11.07 seconds.
American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden captured the title in a season’s best and world-leading 10.62 seconds. Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia was second in 10.74 seconds, with American Sha’Carri Richardson third in a season’s best 10.76 seconds.
Jamaica’s other semifinalists, Jodean Williams and Brianna Lyston, failed to advance after recording 11.16 seconds and 11.18 seconds, respectively.
Gayle’s long jump challenge falls short
Tajay Gayle was unable to reproduce the form that carried him to the Diamond League long-jump title in Brussels, finishing fifth with a best effort of 7.90 meters.
The Jamaican improved through his opening attempts, moving from 7.52m to 7.72m before producing his best mark. However, he failed to make the top four and therefore did not qualify for the decisive fourth round.
Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou won with 8.35m, edging Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov, who jumped 8.34m. Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer was third at 8.07m.
Walker and Clayton book hurdles final spots
Jamaica’s hopes of adding to its medal tally will continue through Sanique Walker and Rushell Clayton, who both advanced to Sunday’s women’s 400m hurdles final.
Walker, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, produced the more eye-catching performance, lowering her personal best to 53.77 seconds for third in her semifinal.
Her latest time improved on the 54.00 seconds she ran to win the Commonwealth Games title. Running from lane nine, she finished behind Americans Jasmine Jones, who clocked a season’s best 52.77 seconds, and Anna Cockrell, who ran 53.31 seconds.
Clayton also secured her place in the final after finishing fourth in her semifinal in 53.84 seconds. The experienced Jamaican had fallen back to seventh after coming off the seventh hurdle but recovered sufficiently to claim a qualifying position.
Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova won that semifinal in 52.93 seconds, ahead of Panama’s Gianna Woodruff, who ran 53.73 seconds, and Belgium’s Paulien Couckuyt, who posted 53.81 seconds.
The other Jamaican in the event, Shiann Salmon, was eliminated after finishing eighth in her semifinal in 56.35 seconds.
Anderson misses out in tight 800m qualification race
Commonwealth Games 800m champion Navasky Anderson narrowly missed a place in Sunday’s final after finishing fifth in his semifinal in 1:44.83 minutes.
Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi secured the final qualifying position in that race, placing fourth in 1:44.43 minutes.
Anderson’s elimination was another setback for Jamaica on a day when the country’s athletes produced several competitive performances but only two podium results.
Sunday: Jamaica targets a strong finish
With the opening two days complete, Jamaica will return to action on Sunday for the third and final day of the inaugural championships, with several opportunities remaining to add to its top-three tally.
The country’s Sunday contingent will include Romaine Beckford in the men’s high jump final; Ackelia Smith in the women’s triple jump final; Sanique Walker in the women’s 400m hurdles final; Rushell Clayton, also in the women’s 400m hurdles final; and the Mixed 4x400m relay team in the final.
Jamaica will also seek to qualify athletes for the 200m finals, with Bryan Levell and Christopher Taylor scheduled to contest the men’s semifinals, while Ashanti Moore and Lavanya Williams will compete in the women’s semifinals.
After Seville and Pryce placed Jamaica on the podium Saturday, the country’s remaining athletes will have one final opportunity to turn strong individual performances into a more substantial podium finish haul in Budapest.
