Ajayi gets the better of Seville again

World Champion-ships 100m gold medallist Oblique Seville and national women’s 400m champion Stacey-Ann Williams produced the best results for Jamaican athletes at yesterday’s Novuna London Athletics Meet, the 11th stop in the Wanda Diamond League series, with both securing top three finishes.
Seville, the world leader in the men’s 100m with 9.82 seconds, finished second in the event in 9.87 after playing second fiddle to Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi for the second time in three weeks. Running into a headwind of 0.7m/s, Ajayi, the second fastest man this season, won in 9.84 to equal his national record, following up on his victory over Seville at the Prefontaine Classic. Great Britain’s Romell Glave finished third in a personal best 9.97.
After a good start, Seville led for the majority of the race but failed to stave off a late surge from the Nigerian over the final 10 metres. Ajayi then showed a bit of gamesmanship by looking across at the Jamaican after crossing the finish line.
Despite finishing second, Seville felt it was still a positive performance.
“It was a pretty good result and a pretty good race for me. It is not the race I wanted, but I came away from it knowing what I need to work on, so I just need to get the job done,” said Seville.
Williams was the next best Jamaican on the day as she continued her run of sub-50-second performances this season in the women’s 400m, placing third in 49.52. The other Jamaican in the event, Nickisha Pryce, was fourth in 50.09. Despite a slow start, world leader Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic ended very strong to remain unbeaten this season, winning in 48.97, while Norway’s Henriette Jæger finished second in a national record 49.15.
The other Jamaicans competing on the day saw Lamara Distin finish sixth in the women’s high jump with 1.93 metres, while Orlando Bennett (13.21) and Demario Prince (13.27) were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the men’s 110m hurdles. World record holder Ja Kobe Tharp of the United States won in a meet record 12.89, with Cuba’s Kandry Menéndez second in a personal best 13.01.
St Lucia’s Julien Alfred continued her amazing run in the women’s 200m this season. After shrugging off an early challenge from American Gabby Thomas, Alfred, the world leader in the event with 21.51, sprinted away for an impressive victory in a meet record 21.66, giving her the two fastest times in the world this season. Olympic champion Thomas had to settle for second in 21.81, while the Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller-Uibo finished third in 22.24.
Great Britain’s Josh Kerr stormed to a world record 3:42.66 in winning the men’s mile.
Earlier, in the first track event of the day, Norway’s Karsten Warholm took over the world lead in the men’s 400m hurdles after winning in a meet record 46.61.  Emil Agyekum of Great Britain finished second in a national record of 47.45.
There was also a personal best performance for the United States’ Rai Benjamin, who won the men’s 400m in 44.05. Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith was second in 44.18, while the United States’ Jacory Patterson finished third in 44.25.