Jamaican athletes Roshawn Clarke, Shiann Salmon and Wayne Pinnock, as well as Grenada’s Anderson Peters delivered standout performances at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, each securing wins in their respective events and marking the highlight of the evening’s action-packed meet.
Clarke, who did not finish in the Olympic final last month, redeemed himself in the men’s 400m hurdles by clocking a season-best 47.49 seconds. Clarke outpaced Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (47.58) and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.02) in a tightly contested race.
Meanwhile, Shiann Salmon achieved a career milestone by dipping under 53 seconds for the first time, running a personal best of 52.97 in the women’s 400m hurdles. Salmon edged out Olympic silver medalist Anna Cockrell, who finished second in 53.17, and Shamier Little, who clocked 54.07 for third place.
Pinnock’s impressive jump
Olympic silver medalist Wayne Pinnock also triumphed in the men’s long jump, securing the top spot with a leap of 8.17 meters. Pinnock’s impressive jump saw him finish ahead of rival and Olympic and World champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, who managed 8.02 meters, and Simon Ehammer, who jumped 7.98 meters.
Two-time World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist Peters claimed victory in the men’s javelin with a throw of 85.72 meters. Peters narrowly beat Germany’s Julian Weber, who threw 85.33 meters, while Japan’s Roderick Genki Dean took third place with a distance of 82.69 meters.
In the women’s 100m, a highly anticipated Olympic final rematch saw American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson edge out St. Lucian Olympic champion Julien Alfred, winning in 10.84 seconds to Alfred’s 10.88. British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith completed the podium in 10.89.
Hansle Parchment ran a season-best 13.18 seconds
Elsewhere, Puerto Rican Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.36 seconds, defeating Cyrena Samba-Mayela (12.40) and Olympic champion Masai Russell (12.47).
Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment, the 2021 Olympic champion, ran a season-best 13.18 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles but had to settle for fourth place in a highly competitive field. The race was won by Olympic champion Grant Holloway in a blistering 12.99 seconds, followed by Sasha Zhoya with a personal best of 13.10 seconds and Freddie Crittenden in 13.15 seconds.
In the men’s 200m, Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando finished fifth with a time of 19.87 seconds in a stacked race that saw Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo take the win in 19.55 seconds. Americans Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton rounded out the top three with times of 19.57 and 19.79, respectively, while Fred Kerley finished fourth in 19.81.
The next stop on the Diamond League circuit is the much-anticipated Diamond League Final, which will take place in Brussels on September 13 and 14.
