Low-key finish for Jamaica in Budapest

Jamaica had a low-key end to the inaugural World Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday.

The country’s athletes failed to pick up any podium finishes on the final day of competition. Four athletes finished fifth in their events, while two others were sixth and eighth in their events. There was also a sixth-place finish in the mixed 4x400 metres relay.

The best final-day performances came from Sanique Walker in the women’s 400m hurdles, Ashanti Moore in the women’s 200m, Romaine Beckford in the men’s high jump, and Ackelia Smith in the women’s triple jump. All four were fifth in their events. Bryan Levell was sixth in the men’s 200m, and the mixed 4x400m relay was also sixth. Rushell Clayton was eighth in the 400m hurdles.

Walker produced a personal-best 53.61 seconds in the 400m hurdles, improving on the 53.77 she ran in her semi-final. She had entered the competition as the Commonwealth Games champion and showed again that she belongs among the world’s one-lap hurdlers. The United States’ Jasmine Jones won the 400m hurdles in a season’s best 52.45, ahead of Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia (52.68) and Anna Cockrell of the United States who was third in 53.09.

Moore, who had earlier clocked a personal-best 22.30 for second in her semi-final, ended fifth in the women’s 200m final in 22.34. World champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States closed out the sprint double winning in a personal-best and world-leading 21.47 in a negative wind of 0.6 metres per second. Her compatriot, Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, was second in 21.77, while another American, Kayla White, was third in 21.93.

Jefferson-Wooden’s winning time was the fourth- fastest ever by a female and the fastest ever recorded into a head wind. Earlier, Jamaica’s Lavanya Williams failed to make the final after ending seventh in her semi-final in 23.10.

In the men’s 200m final, Levell had to settle for sixth in 20.07 behind American Kenneth Bednarek, who closed out the sprint double in a world-leading 19.52. World champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana finished second in a season’s best 19.76 and Courtney Lindsay of the United States third in a season’s best 19.79. Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor wad sixth in his semi-final in 20.36 and failed to advance.

The quartet of Zandrion Barnes, Shana-Kaye Anderson, Assanie Wilson and Stacey Ann Williams had to settle for sixth in the mixed 4x400m in 3:11.46. The United States won in 3:08.32, ahead of Great Britain (3:09.40) and the Netherlands (3:09.57).

In field events action, triple jumper Ackelia Smith had a best of 14.23m for her fifth place, while Beckford cleared 2.26m in the high jump.

Saly Sarr of Senegal won the triple jump with a distance of 15.06, while Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy won the men’s high jump after clearing a world-leading 2.37m.

The inaugural World Ultimate Championships brought together 381 athletes from 65 federations across 28 disciplines and offered a record US$10-million prize purse. Individual winners received US$150,000, making the event one of the richest meetings in the sport.