The 2024 USATF LA Grand Prix wrapped its second day of competition Sunday at USC’s Allyson Felix Field, with Jamaican Olympic bronze medalist Rajindra Campbell delivering a clutch back-and-forth performance to take the top spot in the men’s shot put. He was the only Jamaican athlete to claim victory among the three Caribbean competitors entered in the Los Angeles meet, with teammates Danielle Williams and Adelle Tracey posting solid but out-of-podium results in their respective events.
Across the Atlantic in Sweden, multiple Caribbean track and field standouts also turned in impressive performances at the Folksam GP Sollentuna, led by Olympic discus champion Roje Stona who secured first place in the men’s competition. Stona’s winning throw landed at 67.79 meters, enough to hold off second-place finisher Steven Richter of Germany, who threw 67.44m. Home crowd favorite Daniel Ståhl, a decorated Swedish discus star, took third with a 64.88m throw. In the women’s shot put event at the same meet, Jamaican Daniel Thomas-Dodd earned a second-place podium finish with a top effort of 18.79m.
Back in California, Campbell seized control of the men’s shot put competition from the very first round, opening with a 21.67m throw that put him ahead of the field early. American contender Jordan Geist briefly knocked Campbell out of the top spot in the third round, notching a personal best 21.76m throw to take the lead. But Campbell responded immediately on his next attempt, throwing 21.81m to retake first place, and extended his lead in the final round with a commanding 21.94m throw to seal the win. Fellow American Joe Kovacs rounded out the podium in third, matching Geist’s 21.76m mark but falling short on tiebreakers.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, Jamaican Danielle Williams finished fifth but still notched a personal season best, crossing the finish line in 12.59 seconds with a 1.5m/s tailwind, improving on her previous 2024 best of 12.69 seconds. The race was won by American Masai Russell, the current world leader in the event, who set a new meet record of 12.26 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 12.31 set by Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in 2023. Former long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall took second with a personal best 12.47 seconds, while American Grace Starks claimed third with a 2024 season best 12.48 seconds.
In the women’s 1500m, Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey crossed the line in 4:07.69 to finish seventh. American Emily Mackay took home the win with a time of 3:59.26, followed by Great Britain’s Katie Snowden in second (4:00.97) and Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte in third (4:01.21).