Jamaica’s Omar McLeod and Kadrian Goldson delivered electrifying performances at the 2024 Tampere Motonet Grand Prix in Finland on Sunday, securing victories in their respective events.
Meanwhile, Britany Anderson continued her inspiring return from injury with a top-three finish in the 100m hurdles.
McLeod, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, clocked 13.47 seconds to win the 110m hurdles despite challenging wind conditions of -1.1m/s.
Competing for the first time since the Jamaican national championships in June, where he recorded a season-best of 13.22 seconds, McLeod acknowledged some rust but still comfortably outpaced Finland’s Elmo Lakka, who finished second in 13.72 seconds, and Manuel Mordi, who claimed third in 13.78 seconds.
Steady progress
“I haven’t competed in two months, so it’s great to get this race under my belt before the upcoming Diamond League,” McLeod remarked, beaming. “The headwind was pretty tough out there, but I’m just happy to finish the race healthy.”
Meanwhile, McLeod’s training partner Britany Anderson continued her steady progress following knee surgery with a strong third-place showing in the women’s 100m hurdles. Anderson, who secured silver at the 2022 World Championships, posted a time of 12.97 seconds, just behind Mariam Abdul-Rashid of Canada, who finished second in 12.96 seconds. Finland’s Reetta Hurske took the win with a time of 12.87 seconds.
Jamaica’s success continued as Kadrian Goldson delivered an exhilarating performance in the men’s 100m final, emerging victorious over his American rivals, after finishing second in the preliminaries with a time of 10.21 seconds behind J.T. Smith (10.18), Goldson powered through to win the final in 10.30 seconds. Coby Hilton came in second at 10.31 seconds, while Smith settled for third at 10.33 seconds.
Goldson’s victory underscored his ability to perform under pressure, as he surged ahead in the closing stages to secure a well-earned win over his competitors.
