Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek at the USATF Golden Games (© Kirby Lee)
Seven individual Olympic medallists from the Tokyo Games will help to kick off the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series at the USATF Bermuda Games on Saturday (9).
Noah Lyles, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Grant Holloway and Shericka Jackson are among the world’s best who are travelling to the Flora Duffy Stadium in Devonshire, Bermuda, to compete this weekend.
Two of the top four finishers in the men’s 200m in Tokyo will drop down to the 100m, where they will face some of the world’s top specialists. Lyles – the 2019 world champion – took 200m bronze at the Games and Erriyon Knighton was fourth. The pair will go up against athletes including their compatriot Mike Rodgers and Jamaica’s 2011 world champion Yohan Blake and Tyquendo Tracey.
Coming off a dominant performance at the World Indoor Championships where he won gold and tied his own world record in the 60m hurdles, Tokyo silver medallist Holloway will open his outdoor campaign in the 110m hurdles against Jamaica’s Olympic semifinalist Damion Thomas, the 2021 NCAA indoor champion, and Shane Brathwaite of Barbados.
Puerto Rico’s Camacho-Quinn clocked 12.26 to win the 100m hurdles title in Tokyo and she will go head-to-head with USA’s world indoor 60m hurdles bronze medallist Gabbi Cunningham when they both make their season debuts in their specialist event. They are joined by USA’s Christina Clemons, Chanel Brissett and Erica Bougard, plus Akela Jones of Barbados. Camacho-Quinn is also scheduled to run the 200m against USA's Dezerea Bryant, Anthonique Strachan of The Bahamas and Jamaica’s Briana Williams.
Talented across the sprint spectrum, Jamaica’s Olympic 100m bronze medallist Jackson moves back up to the 400m to take on USA’s world fourth-place finisher Wadeline Jonathas and Kaylin Whitney. An Olympic champion at 400m last year, Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas will contest the 200m and will face Trinidad and Tobago’s world indoor 400m champion Jereem Richards and USA's Isiah Young.
Grenada’s Kirani James has men’s 400m medals from the last three Olympic Games, including a gold from 2012, and took bronze last summer. He tops a one-lap field that includes Machel Cedenio of Trinidad and Tobago and 2018 US champion Kahmari Montgomery.
USA’s Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabby Thomas has already run wind-assisted times of 10.92 for 100m and 21.69 for 200m and this time she races the 100m along with her compatriots Teahna Daniels, Javianne Oliver and Morolake Akinosun.
Tamara Clark and Gabby Thomas in action at the Texas Relays (© Kirby Lee)
Ajee’ Wilson ran away with the 800m gold in Belgrade last month and now makes her outdoor season debut, taking on fellow sub-2:00 performers Charlene Lipsey and Ellie Baker. Jamaica’s Janieve Russell, who finished fourth in Tokyo in the greatest ever women’s 400m hurdles race, goes up against 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Spencer and 2015 world bronze medalist Cassandra Tate.
In the men’s 1500m, Brahim Kaazouzi of Morocco has the fastest personal best at 3:31.62 and he faces Canada's Marco Arop, Kenya's Kamar Etyang, Germany’s Amos Bartelsmeyer and Britain's Kyle Langford.
Britain’s Abigail Irozuru takes on fellow Tokyo Olympian Quanesha Burks, who finished fifth at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, plus Sha’Keela Saunders, Bougard and Jones in the long jump, while Olympic fourth-place finisher Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica goes in the triple jump.
The women’s high jump has Tokyo Olympian Rachel McCoy taking on Olympic veteran Inika McPherson and the men’s triple jump will pit two-time US Olympian Chris Benard against local favourite Jah-Nhai Perinchief, who was fifth in Belgrade.
Organisers for World Athletics
