Jamaicans come up empty on final day in Miami
Published:Tuesday | May 6, 2025 | 10:12 AM
ACKERA NUGENT remained the only Jamaican athlete to find their way to the top of the podium at the second stop of the Grand Slam Track series in Miami on yesterday’s final day.
There were eight events on track yesterday at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, with Jamaicans Roshawn Clarke and Malik James-King involved in the men’s long hurdles (a combination of the 400-metre hurdles and the flat 400), Nickisha Pryce and Stacey-Ann Williams in the women’s long sprints (a combination of the 400 and 200 metres), Andrenette Knight and Shiann Salmon in the long hurdles, as well as Oblique Seville and Akeem Blake in the short sprints (a combination of 100 and 200 metres).
Yesterday, Knight finished third in the 400m, clocking 51.80 seconds to go along with her second-place finish in the 400m hurdles on Saturday. In both instances, the Jamaican finished behind second-time Grand Slam winner Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The United States world record holder over the 400m hurdles clocked a nippy 49.69 in the flat 400 to amass 24 points for the title.
Knight earned 14 points and finished second, with Salmon grabbing fourth, courtesy of a fourth-place finish (54.62) on Saturday and a fifth-place end (52.17) yesterday for nine points.
Brazilian Alison dos Santos, who was dominant in the first staging of the series in Kingston, was back at it again yesterday, completing the double in the men’s long sprints.
44.53 PERSONAL-BEST
Dos Santos had won on Saturday with a 47.95 clocking in the 400 hurdles, and returned yesterday to do the same over the flat one-lap event, clocking a personal-best 44.53 to claim all 24 points on offer.
James-King proved the best-placed Jamaican with his third-place finish (49.43) in the hurdles on Saturday, followed by yesterday’s fifth-place finish (season’s best 45.81), bringing him 10 points for fourth place.
Clarke found the going tough, failing to finish on Saturday before scratching yesterday.
Pryce and Williams failed to make a dent on the leaders in the long sprints, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.
Pryce combined a 50.71-second season’s best in the 400m on Saturday, good enough for fifth, with another best mark of the year in the 200 yesterday, the one-lap specialist clocking 22.77 for fourth. The combined scores gave her nine points.
Williams, sixth on Saturday with 50.76, and seventh yesterday with 22.98, earned five points.
Seville provided the biggest challenge to second-time Slam champion Kenny Bednarek, the United States sprinter winning the 100 and 200 metres for a perfect 24 points.
Bednarek ran a wind-aided 9.79 second in the 100 on Saturday, with Seville second in 9.84, while yesterday, the American ran a world-lead 19.84 over 200m.
Seville has continued to improve over the half-lap event, running a personal-best 20.13 for third. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, who also ran 20.13, just pipped the Jamaican to second.
The combination of results gave Seville 14 points, one more than Hughes, who was fourth in the 100m on Saturday, clocking a wind-aided 9.87.
Blake ended fifth overall yesterday, courtesy of a horrendous 200, the 100m specialist clocking 21.09 for seventh. That combined with his third-place finish (9.85) on Saturday left him with just seven points.
SLAM CHAMPIONS – MIAMI
Agnes Jebet Ngetich – long distance
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – long hurdles
Marileidy Paulino – long sprints
Freweyni Halu – short distance
Ackera Nugent – short hurdles
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden – short sprints
Men
Grant Fisher – long distance
Alison dos Santos – long hurdles
Jereem Richards – long sprints
Josh Kerr – short distance
Trey Cunningham – short hurdles
Kenny Bednarek – short sprints