Noah Lyles (© AFP / Getty Images)
Global champions Noah Lyles and Jordan Anthony were among the athletes to open their seasons with wins at the Tom Jones Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger event, in Gainesville, USA, on Friday and Saturday (17-18).
Racing his first 200m since winning his fourth consecutive world title in the event in Tokyo in September, Lyles clocked 19.91 (1.6m/s) to win the Olympic development race on Friday.
He returned to the track on Saturday to run the anchor leg as part of a 4x100m team featuring his fellow US sprinters Anthony and Trayvon Bromell plus Great Britain’s 18-year-old Jake Odey-Jordan. That international quartet ran 37.78 as the top three all dipped under 38 seconds. A US team of Courtney Lindsey, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Max Thomas clocked 37.86, while another US quartet of Christian Coleman, Ronnie Baker, Tate Taylor and Pjai Austin ran 37.97.
World indoor 60m champion Anthony also raced individually on Saturday, winning the Olympic development 100m in a PB of 9.91 (0.5m/s) ahead of Lindsey in 10.02. Odey-Jordan won another race in a wind-assisted 9.94 (3.3m/s).
The women's 4x100m was won by USA's Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Anavia Battle, Kayla White and Sha'Carri Richardson as they teamed up to clock 41.70.
Multiple world U20 medallist Shawnti Jackson ran the quickest wind-legal time in the 200m, winning her invitational race in 22.35 (0.4m/s) to equal her PB. Olympic and world finalist McKenzie Long won her Olympic development race in 22.42, running into a headwind (-2.0m/s). Two-time Olympic and world 400m gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo won another race in 22.64 (0.7m/s). Adaejah Hodge won the invitational 100m in 10.77 (1.7m/s) ahead of Shenese Walker in 10.80.
USA’s 2022 world indoor 400m silver medallist Trevor Bassitt won the 400m hurdles in 47.82, while Canada’s Christopher Morales-Williams topped the 400m races, clocking 44.30 ahead of Brazil’s 2022 world 400m hurdles champion Alison dos Santos in 44.38.
An international team of Chris Robinson, Jereem Richards, Caleb Dean and Khaleb McRae combined to win the 4x400m in 2:57.33 ahead of a US quartet featuring 2022 world 400m champion Michael Norman in his first race since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Alexis Brown jumped a PB of 7.07m PB (1.4m/s) in the long jump, while Liberia’s Anthonett Nabwe threw an African hammer record of 75.72m.
Thomas among winners in Addis Ababa
USA’s Gabby Thomas achieved a sprint double at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, the first World Athletics Continental Tour meeting to be held in Ethiopia, on Saturday (18).
Racing into a strong headwind, the treble Olympic champion first won the 100m in 11.13 (-4.0m/s) ahead of Chante Clinkscale (11.34) and Cambrea Sturgis (11.36).
Thomas returned to win the 200m in 22.15 (-0.9m/s), finishing clear ahead of Sturgis (22.42).
Kenya’s African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala won the 100m in 9.98 (-0.2m/s), while Botswana’s 19-year-old Justice Oratile won the 400m in 44.92.
There were sprint hurdles wins for Eric Edwards in 13.61 (-2.8m/s) and Rayniah Jones in 13.14 (-5.5m/s) ahead of Cyréna Samba-Mayela (13.65).
