‘I’M HAPPY’

After placing second in his opening 100m race of the season, 2024 Olympic Games men’s silver medallist Kishane Thompson saidhe is “happy with the result” during Saturday’s Wanda Diamond League meeting in Shanghai/Keqiao in China, the second stop on the 14-meet circuit.

The 23-year-old Jamaican clocked 9.99 seconds (0.5m/s) in his first 100m race since last August, just edged out by South Africa’s world leader Akani Simbine (9.98).

“I came to win...[but] I am happy with the result,” Thompson, who competed over the 60m earlier in the season, said after the race.

“I have not been racing since Paris [Olympics] last year and I need the competition to position for the season.”

Thompson is to remain in China for next weekend’s World Athletics Relay Championships.

“I know what I need to work on after this race and I just need to move on quickly. [I am] just focusing on executing perfectly and [it is the] same for the rest of the season,” he said.

He avoided being drawn into discussing his targets for the season.

“I would not say too much at this moment for the target [this] early [in] the season. But after the race I can easily tell what I need to further work on and definitely we can do better and better.”

Simbine caught Thompson near the end of the race to extend his winning run to four in a row. Jamaica’s Rohan Watson finished sixth with a season’s best 10.18.

Two-time sprint hurdles world champion Danielle Williams and triple jumper Jordan Scott were the other two Jamaicans to place second, while Olympic Games sprint hurdles bronze medallist Rasheed Broadbell and long jumper Wayne Pinnock also had podium finishes.

Williams, who won the 100m hurdles at last weekend’s opening meet in Xiamen, China, timed 12.55, behind American Grace Stark, who ran a meet record 12.42 to lower her world lead in the process. South Africa’s Marione Fourie equalled her season’s best 12.62 for third.

Stark, who was second last weekend, broke the previous record of 12.50 set by American Brianna McNeal in 2018.

Williams said she had experienced “a little bit of difficulty around hurdle eight.”

She added: “The competition was pretty good, it was a strong one and I finished well. I had a tough training this week so my aim was just to come here and put things together into a solid race.

“In this race, it helped me to understand what I need to work on and also I have gone really well on what I had practised and it is encouraging.”

Scott, coming off a personal best 17.27-m performance a week ago, managed 17.00m to finish behind Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo, who jumped 17.03m (0.1m/s).

Scott expressed satisfaction with how his season has gone so far.

“I am fine with my performance in general. I won the first place last week in Xiamen and the second place today [Saturday]. I think it is a strong start to the season.

“But also it [has] put pressure on the rest of the season. I think not having my coach with me is my difficult moment this week. Having to make all the decisions by myself was tough. I will go back to keep on my training and keep improving my performance for the upcoming events in the year.”

After running faster than in his season opener three weeks ago, Broadbell, who ran 13.24 (-0.6m/s) to place third in the 110m hurdles, said he is confident he will improve.

“It is just my second race of the season, and I know I will get better as the season goes on. I am in my new training programme now. I believe I will get better result by my next race. Every race I aim to improve my time, and that’s been happening, so I feel good about it,” Broadbell explained.

Jamaican Hansle Parchment was sixth in 13.32 and compatriot Orlando Bennett eighth in 13.49.

American Cordell Tinch ran a personal best, world lead and meet record 12.87 seconds to win. He beat the previous meet record of 12.97 set by Liu Xiang of China in 2012.

Pinnock was third in the men’s long jump with 8.10m (0.5m/s) and Tajay Gayle was fifth with 8.05m (-0.1m/s). China’s Yuhao Shi won with 8.21m (0.2m/s), just ahead of his compatriot Heng Shu – 8.18m (0.4m/s).

Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin ran a season’s best 1:58.43 for fourth in the women’s 800m. Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma clocked a national record, meet record and world leading 1:56.64 to win. Duguma’s effort bettered the 1:58.58 set by Morocco’s Hansa Benhassi.

Australia’s Sarah Billings was second in a personal best 1:57.83 and Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi was third in a season’s best 1:58.39.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd was ninth in the women’s shot put with 18.21m as American Chase Jackson broke the meet record of 20.23m with a 20.54m effort.