KINGSTON, Jamaica – Several Jamaican stars rolled out to take part at the Seniors Link Up track and field meeting held in Kingston on Saturday (9).
Olympic and world 100m champion Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce and world 200m silver medallist Elaine Thompson, were among the top athletes who competed at the meet this weekend.
Thompson, who won a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships behind Dafne Schippers in Beijing, last year, posted a time of 11.07 seconds when topping the fourth heat of the women’s 100m on Saturday.
The 23-year-old who was the runner-up over 60m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, last month, was equalling the world leading mark of American Morolake Akinosun, who competes for the University of Texas.
Anneisha Mclaughlin-Whitby, a former World Junior Championships 200m silver medallist, ran 11.41 to take second place in the heat and second overall.
Meanwhile, Fraser-Pryce, who has won gold over the 100m at the last three major championships, including two IAAF World Championships, was beaten into third place in the women’s 200m.
Fraser-Pryce clocked 23.24 (-2.8 m/s) to finish behind MVP teammate and quarter mile specialist Stephanie McPherson (23.12) and UTech’s Shericka Jackson (23.21) in the first heat.
Audra Segree of Sprintec ran 23.33 for fourth in the 200m. She was third overall in the 100m.
On the men’s side, MVP’s Julian Forte ran 10.28 second (-1.6m/s) to win the men’s 100m and top the seven heat event.
Commonwealth Games 200m champion Rasheed Dwyer of Sprintec ran home second in 10.43.
Elsewhere at the meet, Javon Francis, a silver medallist at the 2013 World Championships in the men’s 4x400m relay with Jamaica, was the fastest finisher in the men’s 400m in 46.39.
Francis owns a personal best of 44.50.
Taking second in the race was MVP’s Jonia McDonald 46.48, with UTech’s Twayne Crooks getting third in 46.52.