Kingston – Jamaica’s Tina Clayton underlined the country’s strength in global women’s sprinting, when she won the Women’s 100m final in a personal best 11.09 seconds at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday morning.
Jamaica now owns all the Women’s 100m sprint titles for all World events, as Elaine Thompson is the Olympic 100m champion and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the Women’s 100m World Championship gold medallist.
Clayton, who advanced from the semi-finals as the fastest qualifier with 11.34s, justified her number one ranking going into the final to win the event.
The Edwin Allen High School athlete, who celebrated her 17th birthday on Tuesday, got a flying start and powered away from the field to register a clear victory margin, by about 5m.
The win ensured that Jamaica retain the track and field meeting’s 100m title, which was won at the last edition of the World Athletics Under-20 Championships by Briana Williams.
Second place went to Namibia’s Beatrice Masilingi in 11.39s, while Switzerland’s Melissa Gutschmidt was third in 11.51s.
Clayton’s teammate Kerrica Hill finished seventh in 11.67s. She will return for the Women’s 100m hurdles later this week.
Kobe Lawrence finished eighth in the Men’s Shot Put event with a throw of 18.32m. The event was won by Cuba’s Juan Carley Vasquez Gomez with a distance of 19.73m.
Ackelia Smith advanced to the Women’s Triple Jump final, although she was not an automatic qualifier. She finished third in Group B, qualifying with a distance of 12.99m. The final takes place on Friday at 2:25 p.m.
The Women’s Discus Throw final, featuring Jamaica’s Cedricka Williams was postponed from Thursday to Friday because of a weather delay. (Jamaica Gleaner)
