Thompson-Herah storms to victory in Zagreb

ELAINE THOMPSON-HERAH stormed to meet record 10.91 seconds in the women's 100 metres  at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial meet in Zagreb yesterday.

  Thompson-Herah erased lingering doubts about her current fitness when she ran past her rivals in the final 20 metres of the event. Countrywoman Brianna Lyston finished second in 10.94 to equal her season's best, and  Ewa Swoboda of Poland was third in a season's best 10.98.

The win by Thompson-Herah was one of four victories by Jamaican athletes, all in meet- record performances, with three coming on the track and one the previous day in the field. Thompson-Herah broke the previous meet record of 10.93 set way back in 1988.

   Fresh off her first national senior title, quarter-miler Stacy-Ann Williams captured the women's 400m in a new meet record of 49.48 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in the world this year and the second-fastest by a Jamaican woman this season. Yemi Mary John of Great Britain was second in 50.33, and Bassant Hemida of Egypt was third in 50.77.

Two-time World 400m hurdles bronze medallist Rushell Clayton was also a winner yesterday. Clayton won the event in a meet record 53.54 seconds, while Belgium's Paulien Couckuyt produced a personal best 54.32 for second place. World leader Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia suffered her first defeat of the season, finishing fifth in 55.82.

Jamaica's good results at the meet had begun a day earlier in the field events through Olympic Games shot put bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell. Competing in the streets of Zagreb on Wednesday in the men's shot put, he produced a winning heave of 22.41m, a new national record and the third-best mark in the world this season. Leonardo Fabbri of Italy was second with 22.21m, and Tom Walsh of New Zealand was third with 21.42m.

The other Jamaican competing at the meet, Tajay Gayle, finished third in the men's long jump with a mark of 8.18m as Anvar Anvarov of Uzbekistan won with 8.29m.

There were several other outstanding performances at the meet, led by Dominica's Thea Lafond in the women's triple jump. She produced a world-leading mark of 15.25m for the victory ahead of world outdoor champion Leyanis Diaz Hernandez of Cuba, who was second with 14.75m, and Italy's Dariya Derkach, who was third with 14.51m.

In a very close women's 100m hurdles, Alysha Johnson of the United States won in a meet record 12.43 seconds, the same time recorded by countrywoman Rayniah Jones for second place, while Aliah Armstrong, also of the United States, was third in 12.51.

There was also a sub-20-second performance from Canada's Andre De Grasse in the men's 200m as he won in 19.95.