By Noel ‘Bravo’ Francis
Nugent becomes the second Jamaican Grand Slam winner behind Danielle Williams
Miramar, Florida – Only one point separated the top two in the women’s short hurdles battle for honours. Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, who fancies herself as a sprinter, showed her class with an authoritative victory in the women’s 100m in 11.09 seconds, equaling her personal best. Nugent, who trailed Masai Russell by six (6) points, having finished third in the 100m hurdles on Friday, collected a maximum of twelve (12) points to eclipse the American in the overall standings (18-17). Russell, who finished fourth in the 100m, registering a PB (11.40), collected $50,000. “I didn’t do what I wanted to do in the hurdles, but I just know that I needed to stay focused,” said Nugent, the 2025 World Indoor bronze medalist. “You can’t reflect on the bad. You have to focus on the good and work in the areas that you can correct.”
‘The Dream’ come true.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem ‘The Dream’ Richards followed up his morale-boosting world-leading 200m run on Friday, clocking 44.32 in the 400m to finish second behind Jacory Patterson, who ran a world-leading and personal best 43.98 seconds. “It’s crazy. I can’t even put it into words,” said Patterson, who works full time loading trucks at UPS.”
By virtue of those performances, Richards was crowned the overall winner in the men’s long sprints.
Despite finishing third in the women’s 200m in a 22.15 PB, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden pocketed her second Grand Slam Track top prize thanks in no small part to her 100m victory on Friday. She edged Gabrielle Thomas, the Olympic champion, who won the 200m clocking a season’s best 21.95, by one point in the overall standings for the women’s short sprints.
Britain’s 1500m world champion Josh Kerr ran a lifetime best of 1:45.01 in the men’s 800m, finishing fifth, but claiming a crucial four points to propel him to the top of the men’s short distance standings, and USD 100K in his bank account.
Bednarek halfway there
Kenny Bednarek, who won the men’s short sprints championship in Kingston, stayed on course to make it two in a row after an impressive win in the men’s 100m. Bednarek blasted out of the blocks and maintained his momentum to the tape, registering 9.79 seconds (+2.4 m/s). Jamaican pair Oblique Seville (9.84) and Ackeem Blake (9.85) finished second and third, respectively.
USA’s Trey Cunningham won a competitive men’s 110m hurdles in 13 seconds flat to equal his PB. The American was just ahead of the flamboyant Frenchman Sasha Zhoya, who ran a 13.06 PB and Freddie Crittenden in a season’s best 13.09.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone chopped over six tenths of a second off her previous world lead set last month in Kingston, registering an effortless 52.07 to win the women’s 400m hurdles. McLaughlin-Levrone was two seconds faster than runner-up Andrenette Knight (54.08) of Jamaica.
