Jamaica’s Commonwealth Games champion Rasheed Broadbell won the men’s 110m hurdles in a meet record 13.08 seconds at the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday.
Broadbell came from behind for the victory, overtaking world champion Grant Holloway (13.12) off the final hurdle
The world indoor record-holder got a fantastic start and led for most of the way, but fast-finishing Broadbell had the better momentum at the end.
Broadbell’s compatriot Hansle Parchment clocked a season-best 13.24 seconds for third place.
Rasheed Broadbell holds flowers after winning the men’s 110 metres hurdles. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy).
There was another Jamaican winner in Rabat as Shericka Jackson, the reigning world champion, took the women’s 200m, setting a meet record with an impressive time of 21.98 seconds.
Bahamian Anthonique Strachan broke her 10-year-old personal best with 22.15 to take second place, while American athlete Tamari Davis finished third in 22.30 seconds, also a personal best.
Veteran Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake clocked a season-best 10.18 seconds but it was only good enough for sixth in the men’s 100m.
Despite the recent withdrawal of Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs the event didn’t lack excitement. World champion Fred Kerley was put under pressure first by the fast-starting Trayvon Bromell, and then by South Africa’s Akani Simbine, but the US sprinter emerged victorious in a meeting record of 9.94. Simbine was second in 9.99 and Ferdinand Omanyala was third (10.05).
USA’s Shamier Little won a competitive women’s 400m hurdles in a season’s best of 53.95, holding off a three-pronged Jamaican challenge from Rushell Clayton (54.15), Shiann Salmon (54.42) and Janieve Russell (55.41). Former world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad was fifth in 55.72.
Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald clocked 45.55 for third in the men’s 400m. In his first ever race in Africa, Olympic champion Steven Gardiner won comfortably in 44.70, finishing 0.41 ahead of USA’s Vernon Norwood.
Jamaica’s Natoya Goule finished third in the women’s 800m in a season-best 2:00.91. Mary Moraa took victory in a season’s best of 1:58.72 from Australia’s Catriona Bisset (2:00.11).
Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica finished third in the women’s triple jump with a season-best effort of 14.53. Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez took the victory with a world-leading mark. One week after setting a personal best of 14.80m on home soil in Havana, the 21-year-old extended it to 14.84m in Rabat. She backed it up with a 14.66m leap in round three, while Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk took second place with 14.65m.
Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams finished ninth with an effort of 13.04m.
