EUGENE, Oregon – St Lucia sprint darling Julien Alfred and Dominica leaper Thea La Fond led English-speaking Caribbean athletes onto the podium during the Prefontaine Classic – part of the World Athletics Diamond League series – on Saturday in the United States.
Several Jamaicans were among the starters – including double women’s Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah – but only triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts among them came close to the runners-up spots that Alfred and La Fond took in their respective disciplines at Hayward Field.
The showdown between Thompson-Herah and world champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States in the women 100 metres flopped spectacularly – and it was left to Alfred, the women’s world indoor 60 metres champion, to test to American glamour queen.
Richardson made a winning season debut over the distance when she clocked 10.83 seconds – six hundredths-of-a-second off the world leading time – and cruised to a smooth win.
She had a good start, but Alfred had a few steps on her in the early stages, but Richardson quickened impressively at the 30 metres mark and eased into the lead to coast across the line.
Alfred was second in 10.93 secs, and Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain clocked 10.98 to finish third, Thompson-Herah, making her first competitive appearance since the previous Prefontaine Classic last September, coming at the back of the field of nine runners in 11.30.
La Fond, the women’s triple jump world leader this year, finished second by 11 centimetres when her last attempt failed eclipse the mark of 14.73 metres by winner Leyanis Pérez Hernández of Cuba.
Ricketts finished with a season’s best distance of 14.55 to finish third.
CMC
