Reid’s gold lights up Jamaica’s day two

JAMAICA TOOK two days to get off the mark at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru yesterday, but when they did, they did it in style.

Alana Reid led a Caribbean sweep of the women’s 100 metres, clocking 11.17 seconds to get the better of the British Virgin Islands’ Adaejah Hodge, 11.27, and Barbados’ Shawna Niles, 11.37.

Out of the blocks early, Reid was never challenged until the very end when she spread her arms at the realisation that she was World Under-20 champion.

Hodge, after a sluggish start, pulled back the field from lane nine but never got close, while Niles would have been eyeing a silver medal had it not been for her fast-finishing Caribbean neighbour.

Reid, who was the bronze medallist in the 200 metres in Cali, Colombia, two years ago, ensured that the title stayed in Jamaica for the fourth time in a row. This followed wins by Briana Williams in Tampere, Finland, in 2018 and back-to-back wins by Tina Clayton in Nairobi in 2021 and Cali in 2022.

Jamaicans Deandre Daley, 10.33, and Gary Card, 10.44, had to settle for fourth and sixth, respectively, in the men’s final.

South Africa took gold and bronze in the event through Bayanda Walaza, 10.19, and Bradley Nkoana, 10.26. Thailand’s Puripol Boonson separated the two for silver in 10.22.

Earlier, Jamaica had been finding the going really tough, with a number of athletes either failing to qualify for finals, semi-finals, or just about making it.

In early action, Kelly-Ann Carr was the only female through to the semi-finals of the women’s 400m hurdles, which is scheduled for tomorrow. Carr ended fourth in her heat in 1:00.61 minutes, which was 26th overall. There was no such luck for Deschanique Douglas, who finished ninth in her heat, clocking 1:05.48, the slowest time of all the competitors.

On the other side of the coin, both males made the semi-finals of the 400 metres hurdles. Daniel Wright was the best of the Jamaicans, winning his heat in 51.42 seconds, the fourth quickest of the qualifiers.

Teammate Trevoy Smith also advanced after ending fourth in his semi-final in 52.15.

SPOT IN THE FINAL

In the lone field event involving Jamaicans, Jade-Ann Dawkins booked her spot to the final of the women’s triple jump. Dawkins just made it into the final, holding on to the 12th and final spot after finishing fourth in her group with a distance of 12.82 metres.

Teammate Jaeda Robinson wasn’t so fortunate, though, her best hop, skip, and jump marking the sand at 12.53 metres, leaving her out of the picture.

It will be a very busy first session for the Jamaicans when the third day of competition gets under way today with nine Jamaicans in action.

Defending champion in the women’s 100m hurdles Kerrica Hill will be the first Jamaican in action. Hill, the world leader in the event with 12.85 seconds, will take to the track. She is in the first heat of the event and will run out of lane one.

Teammate, Habiba Harris, who is the second fastest in the event with 12.95 seconds, will be in action in heat four and will run out of lane five.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Daniel Beckford and Richard Hall face the starters this morning while there will also be action in the preliminary round of the 200 metres, where Jamaica will have four entrants.

The women will go first with Sabrina Dockery in heat one and world leader Shanoya Douglas, who has a best of 22.59 seconds, in heat two.

Junior Gallimore is in heat two of the men’s 200 metres, and Romario Hines completes action for Jamaica in the half-lap event in heat five.

Female high jumper Shannique Williams will be the only Jamaican in the field, competing in Group B of the preliminary round.

Chavez Penn will line up for the men’s triple jump final in the evening after qualifying in 12th spot on day one.

There will be no Jamaicans in the men’s or women’s 400-metre final today following semi-final action yesterday.

Kemarrio Bygrave, the only Jamaican male to advance from the preliminary round earlier in the day, ended fourth in his semi-final in 47.56 seconds.

Earlier in the preliminary round, Jabari Matheson failed to advance after finishing fifth in his heat in 49.34.

Shanque Williams, the lone female to advance to the semi-finals, could only manage a seventh-place finish in 54.47.

Abrina Wright failed to move forward from the preliminary round after finishing sixth in her heat in 54.63.