Yulimar Rojas

MADRID – Blessing Okagbare posted a seasonal best to win the women’s 100m, while Yulimar Rojas impressed in the women’s Triple Jump at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Madrid on Thursday evening (23).

Nigerian sprinter Okagbare won the women’s 100m in a time of 11.09 seconds, as she continues to round back into shape in an attempt to improve on her 8th place 100m finish over the 100m at the last Olympic Games at London 2012.

Okagbare was improving her previous 2016 best time of 11.11, set in Rabat, last month.

In Madrid on Thursday, the 27-year-old got home ahead of Ecuador’s Angela Tenorio, who also posted a season’s best of 11.13 for second place and Portugal’s Lorène Dorcas Bazolo (11.28).

The men’s race went to Iran’s Hassan Taftian, who clocked a national record and personal best time of 10.04 for first place.

Taftian sizzled home ahead of Spain’s Bruno Hortelano, who also achieved a new national record and career best of 10.06 for second place, while Cayman Islands’ Kemar Hyman continued his Olympic Games preparations with a third place finish in 10.13.

Meanwhile, Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela continued her impressive form in 2016 with a stunning 15.02m effort to win the women’s Triple Jump competition and set a national record.

Rojas, the 2016 World Indoor Championships gold medallist became the 24th woman to jump 15m or further, while moving up to No. 22 on the all-time list.

The 20-year-old accomplished her highlighted mark in the sixth and final round of the competition, with Portugal’s Susana Costa taking second with a jump of 14.31m and third going to Ana José Tima of the Dominican Republic (14.22m; NR).

There was also a national record set in the men’s 400m dash, with Nery Brenes of Costa Rica running 44.60 secs for victory.

Oblique Seville after his 9.93 to w...
Oblique Seville after his 9.93 to win his heat at the Oregon 2022

After a number of 46 and 45 seconds outings this term, Brenes, the 2012 World Indoor champion, stopped the clock in a respectable time in Madrid, and it resulted in him taking 0.05 off his own five-year-old national one-lap mark.

“I went out quite fast, caught the athlete on my right before the first bend was over and only faded a bit on the closing 40m,” Brenes said on the IAAF website.

“My next competition will be in Monaco but I only have eyes for the Olympics where I hope to make my first outdoor final at a major championships, that’s my primary goal now.”

Slovenia’s Luka Janezic took second in a national record of 45.22, while third went to Saudi Arabia’s Youssef Al-Masrahi in 45.51.

In other results, Spain’s Orlando Ortega won the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.17 secs and USA’s Jeshua Anderson took the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.96, just ahead of Eric Cray, who set a Philippines national record of 48.98.

Rose M. Almanza of Cuba took the women’s 800m with 2:00.22 and Ruth Beitia of Spain cleared a season’s best of 1.93m to win the women’s high jump, the same height cleared by Italy’s Alessia Trost.

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