Thomas claims third at Daegu World Challenge

DAEGU, South Korea (CMC):

Leevan Sands was the most successful Caribbean athlete at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Challenge meet on Thursday.

The Bahamian claimed second place in the triple jump, with a distance of 16.97 metres - two centimetres short of the winning mark of hometown boy Kim Deok-Hyeong.

Kim was the only South Korean winner in the meet and won his first competition of the season.

Dwight Thomas of Jamaica clocked 13.40 seconds, to finish third in the men's 110 metres hurdles.

American David Oliver - as expected - was in a class of his own, finishing with a World-leading time of 13.13 secs in windless conditions, ahead of fellow American Aries Merritt, whose 13.30 was his best this season.

The 29-year-old Oliver led from the start, collecting his third win in as many competitions this season. He has now extended his winning streak to 18 finals.

Oliver's last loss came in his last competition of 2009 in Zagreb, where he was beaten by World champion Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados.

Victory

Elsewhere, Mario Forsythe of Jamaica posted a time of 10.29 for fourth in the men's 100, which was won by American Walter Dix in 10 secs flat.

In the men's 400, Bahamian Ramon Miller clocked 45.57 to finish fourth, with Yuzo Kanemaru of Japan, clocking 45.23 for victory.

Cydonnie Mothersill of Cayman Islands was fifth in 23.45 in the women's 200, which American Allyson Felix won after leading the race clearly already after the curve.

Felix was expected to run a world leader in this race and she did crush the previous 22.65 mark, clocking 22.38.

Sheree Francis of Jamaica cleared 1.85m in the women's high jump - nine centimetres shy of winner Zheng Xingjuan.