分类： sports

Cricket Association Sets Accreditation Deadline for Sri Lanka Test Series

International cricket fans are gearing up for a major showcase of Test cricket in Antigua and Barbuda, as the local governing body has rolled out key pre-event requirements for all staff and stakeholders participating in the upcoming West Indies versus Sri Lanka Test series. The Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA) has issued an official announcement confirming that mandatory accreditation will be required for anyone seeking entry to the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium throughout the duration of the two-match series, which is scheduled to be hosted at the iconic Antiguan venue in 2026.

The first Test of the two-Test tour is set to run from June 25 to 29 2026, while the second fixture will follow immediately after, taking place between July 3 and 7 the same year. As part of the ABCA’s ongoing event planning and venue management protocols, every individual that will provide on-site services during the matches must secure official approval and accreditation before the series gets underway.

This sweeping requirement extends to a broad cross-section of on-site personnel, covering nearly every role that supports the staging of an international cricket match. Included among the mandatory accreditation groups are catering staff, cleaning teams, emergency response workers, gate attendants, ground maintenance crews, hospitality suite caterers, host board administrative staff, manual board scorers, media center catering staff, medical teams, official match scorers, public health inspectors, solid waste management personnel, series sponsors, permanent Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium staff, Tri Vision broadcasting system operators, merchandise and concession vendors, the venue manager, venue safety officers, and venue operations personnel.

To streamline the application process, the ABCA is urging all individuals who fall under this mandate to pick up official accreditation application forms directly from the ABCA headquarters located at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. Completed application packages must be submitted to the association no later than Monday, June 15, 2026, to allow sufficient time for processing and approval ahead of the first match.

All applicants are required to include two standard documents with their submission: a digital passport-sized photograph of the applicant, and a clear copy of a valid government-issued photo ID. As the association continues to advance preparations for what is expected to be a thrilling, high-profile international cricket series on Antigua and Barbuda soil, ABCA has expressed gratitude to all participating stakeholders for their ongoing cooperation and support. Any individual seeking additional clarification or further information on the accreditation process is encouraged to reach out directly to the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.

4 6 月, 2026
Renson Haynes to manage Sports Council

A new chapter for sports development in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is underway, following an official announcement from the country’s Ministry of Sports that names ex-national team footballer Renson Haynes as the new head of the National Sports Council (NSC).

Haynes’ tenure in the top administrative role officially commenced on May 4, marking a transition that sports officials hope will inject fresh energy into the nation’s growing sporting ecosystem. In its official statement announcing the appointment, the Ministry highlighted the extensive cross-cutting expertise that Haynes brings to the table, spanning key areas including sports governance, executive leadership, and large-scale organizational operations.

The appointment underscores the persistent dedication of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government to upgrading the systems that support sports administration and grassroots to elite sports growth across the country, the release emphasized.

In his new post as NSC manager, Haynes will take on a broad portfolio of core responsibilities. These include steering the day-to-day operational activities of the entire council, overseeing upkeep and access to all national sporting infrastructure, leading the rollout of new and existing national sports programs and community-focused initiatives, and driving progress for both competitive athletes and local sporting organizations across all 32 islands of the nation.

The Ministry closed its statement by expressing full confidence in Haynes’ capabilities, noting that his longstanding commitment to sports growth, professional track record, and personal passion for advancing local athletics will deliver meaningful, positive change to St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ entire sporting sector.

4 6 月, 2026
Column: SML ondersteunen

The launch of professional football through the Suriname Major League (SML) has unlocked a key opportunity for Surinamese top clubs to compete at the regional level. Just a short time after its establishment, the league has already cemented its value as a launching pad for Surinamese football, with no one able to deny its early positive impact.

Under the current structure, both the SML champion and runner-up earn guaranteed spots in regional competitions organized by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf). This season, SML champion Broki will test its mettle against other top Caribbean sides in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, while runner-up Robinhood will compete in the Concacaf Club Shield. Importantly, the winner of the Club Shield also earns a subsequent berth to the higher-tier Concacaf Caribbean Cup, extending the opportunity for Surinamese clubs to gain international exposure. While these regional qualifying opportunities are a major win for the local game, the new league still faces critical structural gaps that limit its growth. The most pressing issue is the overall lack of competitive matches across the entire Surinamese football season.

Currently, too few clubs hold the professional license required to compete in the SML, resulting in a season that is far too short to build fan momentum or improve player quality. It is acknowledged that strict licensing requirements are necessary to maintain professional standards, so unvetted clubs cannot be added to the top flight hastily. At the same time, the absence of a promotion and relegation system between the SML and lower divisions saps the league of much-needed competitive tension, as top-flight clubs face no consequence for poor on-field performance. To address the shallow league structure, lower-division clubs must step up to meet licensing requirements, expanding the number of participants and allowing for a full, competitive season.

Beyond expanding the core league membership, a second solution to the lack of matches is the introduction of additional knockout cup competitions. The SML steering committee will need to prioritize outreach to the local business community to secure sponsorship for these new tournaments. While large domestic companies can take on full sponsorship individually, smaller firms should also be given the opportunity to pool resources in a consortium to back a cup. Notably, large companies that hold or have historically held monopoly positions in the Surinamese market, which generate substantial annual revenues, could launch and sponsor a cup as a meaningful part of their corporate social responsibility commitments.

Given the uncertain timeline for more lower-tier clubs to meet professional licensing requirements, local businesses could take inspiration from English football’s structure and add multiple cup competitions alongside the existing league and current domestic cup. Any new cup would need to offer an attractive prize purse to drive full commitment from participating clubs and players. Additionally, introducing performance-based valuations and awards for players and coaches would incentivize higher quality of play, which in turn would draw more fans back to stadiums to watch matches.

Ultimately, the long-term growth of professional football in Suriname is not the responsibility of the SML alone. The future of the local game depends entirely on the active support of all stakeholders, including the government, local business community and football governance bodies. Financial backing from FIFA will not last indefinitely, so urgent action is needed now to secure alternative funding sources that can not only keep local football operational, but also make it a more engaging, competitive product for fans across the country.

4 6 月, 2026
Women’s Brazil 2027 Preparation : D-1, New Zealand vs Haiti (Friendly Match)

As the countdown to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup final qualifying phase ticks on, Haiti’s senior women’s national football team, the Grenadières, has finalized its roster for two critical warm-up international friendlies, marking a key milestone in their journey to Brazil 2027. With the first clash against New Zealand’s Football Ferns just one day out as of the report, the team will also face off with Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang, a name meaning “lightning” in a Bantu language, in back-to-back fixtures hosted in southern Spain. This preparation run comes ahead of the final qualifying round set to run from June 24 to July 25, 2027.

Veteran Swedish head coach Pia Sundhage, who took charge of the Grenadières in recent months, named a 25-player squad that balances returning experience, recovering talent, and exciting new prospects. Several key players who missed out on Haiti’s previous international window in April 2026 have earned recalls to the side, including defenders Nya Jean-Baptiste of the United Futbol Academy and Milan P. Jerome of Hungary’s DVTK. The most notable inclusion for this camp is 17-year-old youth international Keisha Gue, a promising attacker who currently plies her trade at Heat Surf Las Vegas in the U.S. after developing in Canada, earning her first ever call-up to the senior national side.

The revised squad features a mix of homegrown and Europe-based talent across all positions. In goal, Sundhage has selected three keepers: Kaina César V. Pietrus of Lipscomb University (USA), Oceane Toussaint of Paris Saint-Germain (France), and Nelly Maignant of Sarcelles (France). The defensive line includes Kethna Louis (Montpellier, France), Jennyfer Limage (RC Lens, France), Amandine Pierre-Louis (AS Saint-Étienne, France), Tabita Dougenie Joseph (Marseille, France), Claire Constant (Power FC, USA), Cassandra Decombe (FC Laval, Canada), Alyssa S. Manasse (Blue/Somerest), alongside the two returning defenders.

In midfield, the roster includes Deborah Bien-Aime (AS Saint-Étienne, France), Sherly Jeudy (RC Lens, France), star playmaker Melchie D. Dumornay (Olympique Lyonnais, France), Anyssa Ibrahim (Le Mans FC, France), Dayana Pierre-Louis (Royal Utah, USA), Josephine Vanuxeem (Lille, France), with new addition Amelie Joseph of FC Metz. Up front, the attacking group features Chelsea A. Domond (Guingamp, France), Roseline Eloissaint (FC Nantes, France), Nerilia Mondesir (Seattle, USA), Lourdjina Etienne (FC Fleury, France), and the debutant Keisha Gue.

Both friendly matches will be hosted in Spain’s Malaga Province, allowing the squad to train and compete in a European environment ahead of their qualifying campaign. The first fixture, Haiti against New Zealand, is scheduled for June 5, 2026, kicking off at noon local Haiti time at El Mauli Stadium in Antequera. Three days later, on June 8, the Grenadières will take on Equatorial Guinea at the Juventus Stadium in Torremolinos, kicking off at the same noon Haiti time. For the Haitian side, these fixtures represent a valuable opportunity to test tactics, integrate new players, and build match fitness as they target qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, one of the team’s most ambitious goals in recent history.

4 6 月, 2026
Derde helft WK 2026: Team Engeland, kan Tuchel het beste uit Kane en Bellingham halen?

Sixty years have passed since England lifted their only men’s FIFA World Cup title on home soil, and as the 2026 tournament approaches in North America, the Three Lions enter the event as one of the pre-tournament favorites – but not without lingering questions surrounding their squad selection, tactical direction, and big-game form that have left fans and pundits divided.

England made history during qualifying, becoming the first European nation to secure their World Cup spot with two group matches still remaining, wrapping up their campaign with a perfect eight wins from eight matches and not conceding a single goal along the way. The comfortable qualification run cemented their place among the top contenders, currently sitting 4th in the official FIFA world rankings. That smooth progress, however, has done little to quiet growing concerns: their qualifying group was widely regarded as one of the weakest in the European bracket, and recent friendly results – including back-to-back losses to Senegal and Japan at Wembley Stadium – have sparked public dissatisfaction with the team’s performances against elite opposition.

At the center of the current debate is German head coach Thomas Tuchel, who took over the national side following the departure of Gareth Southgate. Southgate, despite frequent criticism for his cautious, risk-averse playing style and controversial tactical choices, led England to back-to-back European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final appearance in 2018. Since taking charge, Tuchel has yet to deliver the dynamic, attacking football many fans expected, with the team often producing slow, hesitant displays. Tactical experiments, including shifts to a false nine system and a double playmaker setup, have failed to yield consistent positive results so far.

Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the 2026 tournament has triggered major controversy, after he omitted several longstanding regular starters and surprising included a number of uncapped or out-of-form players. Two of England’s most creative attacking talents, Cole Palmer of Chelsea and Phil Foden of Manchester City, were left out after underwhelming club seasons. Veteran defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and former starter Harry Maguire also missed out on selection. In their places, Tuchel gave a spot to Saudi Arabia-based striker Ivan Toney, who has played limited competitive minutes since moving to the Middle East. Other controversial inclusions include Tottenham defender Djed Spence, 35-year-old Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson, and uncapped Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah. Overall, nine of the 26 selected players will be making their debut at a major senior international tournament.

Tuchel has defended his selection choices, emphasizing team chemistry over individual talent in his approach. “We are not trying to pick the 26 most talented individual players in England,” he explained. “Our goal is to build the best possible team. Tournaments are won by cohesive teams, not collections of stars – everything depends on group chemistry.” Despite early skepticism about a foreign coach leading the national side, Tuchel has made it clear his ambition is to end the nation’s 60-year trophy drought and bring the World Cup title back to England.

One of the biggest individual storylines surrounding the side is the form of captain and all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane, who already has 78 international goals to his name heading into the tournament. Kane has a history of failing to hit his best form at major tournaments for England, even after claiming the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup, often arriving at the competition fatigued or carrying minor injuries following a long club season. This year, however, Kane comes into the tournament off the back of a career-best club campaign with Bayern Munich, where he scored an incredible 61 goals in 51 matches across all competitions. A fit and in-form Kane is just two goals away from equaling England’s all-time record of 10 World Cup goals set by Gary Lineker, and he will be counted on to lead the line if England is to make a deep run.

Another key talking point is the position of Real Madrid midfield star Jude Bellingham, one of the most talented young players in European football. Bellingham endured a difficult season at club level, disrupted by injuries and inconsistent form, which has opened the door for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers to challenge for a starting spot. Bellingham is capable of playing in a deeper central midfield role, but that position is already widely expected to be filled by established starters Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, leading to speculation that Bellingham could start the tournament on the bench.

One bright spot for England is the emergence of 21-year-old Manchester City left-back Nico O’Reilly, who has enjoyed a breakout season. O’Reilly scored seven Premier League goals this term and played a key role in City’s League Cup final victory, and many observers believe he could become the first world-class left-back England has produced since Ashley Cole. While he is still developing his game, he brings elite pace, solid defensive fundamentals, and strong positional awareness to the side.

England have been drawn into Group L, a challenging group that will test their credentials from the opening match. Their tournament kicks off on June 17 in Arlington, Texas against 11th-ranked Croatia, the same side that knocked England out of the 2018 World Cup at the semi-final stage. They will then face Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts on June 23, before wrapping up group play against Panama on June 27 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. While Panama is ranked 33rd in the world, they earned a surprise final spot at the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League after beating the United States, and 74th-ranked Ghana boasts dangerous attacking talent in the form of Antoine Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus, making them a dangerous dark horse in the group.

Full 2026 England World Cup Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), John Stones (Manchester City), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Noni Madueke (Arsenal)

3 6 月, 2026
Cave Hill finishes third at Inter-Campus Games

The University of the West Indies Inter-Campus Games wrapped up recently at the St Augustine Campus in Trinidad, with the Cave Hill Campus securing third place overall after claiming three of the 14 available championship titles. Team manager Aundrea Wharton shared his assessment of the team’s performance in an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, breaking down the results and outlining expectations for future competitions. Wharton confirmed that Cave Hill’s standout wins came in women’s hockey, women’s volleyball, and women’s netball, where all three squads outperformed competing campuses to claim the top podium spot. Despite these strong individual results, Wharton acknowledged that the final overall standing fell slightly short of the program’s pre-tournament projections. “We missed out on two titles we had our sights set on – men’s cricket and men’s volleyball,” he explained. “Our squads in both events finished second, and moving those two positions up from silver to gold would have lifted our overall medal ranking considerably.” That said, Wharton emphasized that the team’s showing was a solid outcome given the unusual context surrounding this year’s restart of the Games. This year’s event marked the first full iteration of the multi-campus competition after COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, and a large majority of Cave Hill’s 130-person delegation had never competed in the UWI Inter-Campus Games before. “Coming into this tournament, almost our entire squad was completely new to the idea of these university games, what they stand for, and the intensity of competition they bring,” Wharton noted. “For these young athletes, this whole experience was a major learning curve that they can build on moving forward.” Looking ahead to the next edition of the Games, scheduled to be hosted by the Cave Hill Campus in Barbados in 2028, Wharton expressed cautious optimism for a stronger result. Roughly 60 percent of this year’s 130 athletes will still be eligible to compete for Cave Hill in four years’ time, and the experience they gained at this year’s tournament will be invaluable, he argued. “Now that they have a first-hand understanding of how hard-fought these Games are, and what it takes to compete for titles, I think we’ll see a very different outcome in 2028,” he said. “Add that to the advantage of competing on home soil, and I know our athletes will be hungry to put on a much better performance for our home crowd.” In the final overall standings, Jamaica’s Mona Campus claimed the first place overall title, with the host St Augustine Campus finishing in second. Wharton also noted that the overall level of competition across all participating campuses was inconsistent this year, a trend he attributes to the post-pandemic restart. “This year felt a little lukewarm across the board, because it’s the first time we’ve been back to full competition after COVID,” he explained. “Many teams hadn’t experienced the intensity of the Games before, so they were still finding their footing. We also saw the debut of Five Islands Campus, which was only founded two years ago and competed in the Inter-Campus Games for the first time ever this year.”

3 6 月, 2026
Belize Gymnasts Bring Home 22 Medals

A young delegation of gymnasts from Belize has delivered a historic performance at one of Central America and the Caribbean’s top artistic gymnastics tournaments, returning home with an impressive total of 22 medals across multiple competition categories.

The multi-day El Salto Team Challenge, hosted this year in El Salvador, ran from May 28 to 31, drawing competitive squads from across the entire Central American and Caribbean region. The Belizean delegation competed under the joint banner of SESA Gymnastics and the Gymnastics Federation of Belize, going up against some of the most promising young talent in the regional gymnastics scene.

Two team members stood out for their exceptional individual achievements: gymnasts Selene Bedran and Adrianna Paz both advanced through qualifying rounds to earn spots in the event finals. Against stiff competition from top-ranked regional gymnasts, the pair held their ground, turning in strong performances that cemented Belize’s growing reputation as an emerging force in regional youth gymnastics.

This 22-medal result marks a major new milestone for the development of gymnastics in Belize, highlighting the success of local training programs and the growing skill level of the country’s young athletic talent. It also sets a new benchmark for future Belizean gymnastics delegations competing in regional international events, inspiring the next generation of young gymnasts across the country.

3 6 月, 2026
Williams happy with team’s performance in Grenada

The Whitsuntide Games, one of the Caribbean’s most anticipated regional track and field competitions, recently wrapped up in Grenada, and a delegation from neighboring Barbados left the event with an impressive haul of accolades — none more notable than the historic performance of 17-year-old sprint prodigy Jalino Hamlet. As a member of Barbados’ Extreme Velocity Track and Field Club, Hamlet walked away with the Games’ highest individual honor: Most Outstanding Athlete, after shattering six competition records across multiple events.

In a post-meet interview with local media outlet Barbados TODAY, Extreme Velocity head coach Glen Williams expressed nothing short of complete satisfaction with his team’s results across the four-day competition, which drew roughly 1,100 competing athletes from across the Caribbean region. Williams noted that the 2024 iteration of the Whitsuntide Games was the largest in the event’s history, making his squad’s achievements all the more meaningful.

Williams highlighted that the majority of his athletes showed clear, measurable improvements from their previous outings, with particularly standout results coming from the club’s junior division. Many regional track and field programs consistently struggle with inconsistent performance from junior competitors, but Williams emphasized that his young athletes defied expectations, delivering dramatic personal bests and top finishes against tough competition.

Hamlet, a student at Barbados’ prestigious St Leonard’s Boys’ School, has been on a rapid upward trajectory this season, following a strong debut performance at the CARIFTA Games — another elite Caribbean track and field event also held in Grenada earlier this year. At the Whitsuntide Games, his record-breaking run spanned every round of competition he entered: he set new event records in both the heats and final of the 200-meter sprint, repeated that feat in both the preliminary rounds and final of the 400-meter sprint, and rounded out his historic performance as a member of the Under-17 Boys’ 4x100m relay team, which also set new records in both its prelim and final race.

“Six total new records at one meet — that’s why he earned the Most Outstanding Athlete trophy,” Williams explained, adding that the entire club is proud of both Hamlet’s achievements and the hard work the whole team put in to prepare for the Games. With the Whitsuntide Games now behind them, the young Barbadian athletes are set to carry this momentum into upcoming regional competitions later this year.

3 6 月, 2026
Lyles reigns in Rome 100m, Pathirage stuns with javelin

Thousands of track and field fans packed the stands in Rome, Italy on Thursday, as top global athletes delivered standout performances at the 2025 Rome Diamond League meeting, headlined by electric sprinting and a historic javelin throw. Leading the men’s 100m competition, American Olympic champion and four-time 200m world titleholder Noah Lyles delivered a blistering run, crossing the finish line in 9.88 seconds to take the top spot on the podium. Lyles, who is 28, already secured a win at a Tokyo meet two weeks prior with a 9.95-second run, and Thursday’s result marks a clear improvement as he builds toward major upcoming championships. Following Lyles across the line were Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, who clocked 9.94 seconds to claim second place, and Botswana’s rising sprint star Letsile Tebogo, who finished third with a 9.95-second time. Local favorite and former Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy put up a solid effort, finishing fifth with a 9.99-second run in front of his home crowd.

Beyond the sprint events, 23-year-old javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka produced one of the most memorable results of the entire meet, launching a stunning 92.62-meter throw that secured him a spot in the top eight on the sport’s all-time global rankings. Pathirage already held the year’s leading distance of 89.37 meters set back in March, and Thursday’s throw marked a 30-centimeter improvement on his own national record, even with only two valid attempts across the competition. Speaking to reporters after the win, Pathirage noted that Rome’s mild, favorable conditions allowed him to throw farther than he did at his previous competition in Rabat. “Winning today feels like a Sri Lankan festival,” he said of the career-making result. While the mark is a massive personal and national milestone, it still falls nearly 6 meters short of Jan Zelezny’s legendary 25-year-old world record of 98.48 meters, set back in May 1996. In the men’s javelin standings, Grenada’s Anderson Peters took second place with an 83.91-meter throw, just two centimeters ahead of third-place finisher Curtis Thompson of the United States.

The women’s 200m event closed out another major upset of the day, with Saint Lucia’s Olympic silver medalist Julien Alfred outrunning reigning world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States to take the win. Alfred, who already holds the fastest 200m time of the 2026 season at 21.86 seconds, crossed the line on Thursday in 21.93 seconds to claim first place. For Jefferson-Wooden, who swept the 100m and 4x100m titles at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, Thursday’s race marked her first 200m outing of the 2026 season. She ultimately finished second with a time of 22.17 seconds, while her compatriot Anavia Battle rounded out the podium in third with a 22.39-second run.

3 6 月, 2026
Megan Simmonds wins first DL race in Rome

ROME, Italy – The 2024 Diamond League circuit made its fourth stop in the Italian capital on Thursday for the annual Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, where Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds pulled off a career-defining win to claim her first ever Diamond League title in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Simmonds got out of the starting blocks with blistering speed, establishing an early lead over one of the season’s deepest fields. She held her form through the final hurdle to cross the line in a season’s best 12.50 seconds with a wind reading of 0.8m/s, holding off a late charge from the field to secure the historic win. Former women’s 100m hurdles world record holder Kendra Harrison of the United States finished just off the top spot, clocking 12.54 seconds to take silver, while the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser rounded out the top three with a 12.58-second run. Another Jamaican, Danielle Williams, also notched a season’s best performance to finish fifth in 12.69 seconds.

Simmonds’ victory was far from the only strong showing for Jamaican athletes at the meet, with six of her compatriots joining her on the event podium across other disciplines. In the men’s 110m hurdles, Jamaican national champion Orlando Bennett posted a time of 13.31 seconds (0.5m/s) to finish second, only behind American Trey Cunningham, who delivered a sensational performance to set a new personal best, world-leading time and meeting record of 12.98 seconds. Spain’s Enrique Llopis took third place just one hundredth of a second behind Bennett, at 13.32 seconds.

The men’s triple jump delivered one of the meet’s most exciting final rounds, as Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez defended his Rome title to secure his third consecutive Diamond League win at the event, jumping a season’s best 17.59m (-0.1m/s). World leading Jamaican jumper Jordan Scott fought his way into second place, notching a best mark of 17.33m (-0.2m/s) on his final attempt. Fellow Jamaican Jaydon Hibbert completed the event’s all-Jamaican podium split, taking third with a season’s best jump of 17.02m (-0.8m/s).

In the women’s 400m, rising Jamaican star Nickisha Pryce produced a strong final straight to overtake competitors and claim third place, stopping the clock at a season’s best 49.80 seconds. Norway’s Henriette Jaeger took the win in 49.60 seconds, while Czechia’s Lurdes Gloria Manuel notched a personal best 49.77 seconds to finish second. In the women’s 400m hurdles, Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton shaved time off her existing season’s best to finish third in 53.14 seconds, improving on the 53.75 seconds she ran just days earlier at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco. Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova claimed her second straight Diamond League win, lowering her own national record to 52.58 seconds – the fastest time in the world this season – while America’s Anna Cockrell took second in 52.77 seconds.

Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford rounded out the country’s podium finishers, taking third in the men’s high jump after clearing 2.23m. He matched the height of second-place finisher Erik Portillo of Mexico, while host nation’s Matteo Sioli took the gold with a 2.28m clearance. World indoor medalist Raymond Richards, also of Jamaica, finished seventh in the event after clearing 2.20m.

Several other Jamaican competitors posted top-seven finishes without making the podium. Long jumpers Tajay Gayle and Wayne Pinnock finished fourth and seventh, with marks of 8.04m and 7.75m respectively, while Rajindra Campbell placed fifth in the men’s shot put with a best throw of 21.39m. In the men’s 100m, Ackeem Blake finished seventh in 10.06 seconds (0.4m/s), as American star Noah Lyles took the win in 9.88 seconds. Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme set a new national record of 9.94 seconds to take second, while Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo took third in a season’s best 9.95 seconds.

Reporting by Paul A Reid

3 6 月, 2026