Rojas, Fraser-Pryce and Jacobs the standouts in Padua

Yulimar Rojas, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Marcell Jacobs were in the spotlight in the 33rd edition of the Padua EA Classic meeting on Tuesday (16).

Competing in warm condition, athletes broke five meeting records in the Daciano Colbacchini athletics stadium, named to honour the Padua native who competed in the 110m hurdles at the 1912 and 1920 Olympic Games.

Rojas leaps 14.87m

Reigning world outdoor and indoor triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas won a high caliber competition, breaking the meeting record with 14.87m (+1.8 m/s) leap. The Venezuelan star beat Cuba’s Liadagmis Povea, who finished second with 14.64m. The pair both opened the competition with 14.54m efforts in the first attempt with Rojas taking command in the fourth with the winning leap, improving Oksana Udmurtova’s previous meeting record set in 2008 by two centimetres. European indoor champion Ana Peleteiro finished third with 14.47m.

Double Olympic and three-time world 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the 100m for the third time in her career in Padua clocking 11.00, narrowly missing the 10.98 meeting record she set in 2015.

“I feel honoured to win in Padua for the third time,” Fraser-Pryce said. “I train in Italy during the summer and I really enjoy coming here.”

Lamont Marcell Jacobs sprinted to an impressive 10.03 to win the second men’s 100m heat, beating Japan’s Yuki Koike (10.11) and former European 200m champion Adam Gemili from Great Britain (10.12).

Jacobs, the reigning Italian champion, improved both his previous 10.08 PB and the Padua meeting record held by Qatar’s Femi Ogunode, who clocked 10.07 in 2015, when the meeting was held at the Euganeo Stadium. Jacobs has now become the third fastest Italian sprinter behind Filippo Tortu (9.99) and Pietro Mennea (10.01). Rodrigo Do Nascimento won the other heat in 10.11.

“I am happy because I am on the right way,” Jacobs said. “I am in good shape, but I can improve my time again. The new track is fast. I am close to my goal to break the 10 seconds barrier and the Italian record.” 

Two-time world champion Maria Lasitskene cleared 1.94m to win the women’s high jump in Padua for the third consecutive year. Lasitskene made three unsuccessful attempts at 2.00m, a height she has already cleared six times in this outdoor season.

Jamaica’s Megan Tapper won the women’s 100m hurdles with 12.66 (+2.0), improving Kellie Wells’ meeting record of 12.75 set in 2013. Tiffany McReynolds improved her PB to 12.72 to finish second ahead of Olympic finalist Pedrya Seymour from the Bahamas (12.78) and 2018 NCAA champion Jasmine Camacho Quinn (12.86).

Amos goes sub-45

Botswana’s Nijel Amos smashed his 400m career best with 44.99 four days after his sensational 1:41.89 clocking in the 800m in the Monaco Diamond League meeting. In the second heat Nigeria’s 20-year-old Emmanuel Bamidele ran faster, breaking the meeting record with 44.78 beating world 4x400m relay champion Machel Cedenio (45.57).

Reigning 400m and 4x400m relay world champion Phyllis Francis pulled away in the final straight to win the women’s 400m in 51.20.

Aldemir Gomes Da Silva won the men’s 200m in 20.25 breaking the meeting record held by Frankie Fredericks with 20.46 since 1995.

Freddie Crittenden, who was part of the victorious mixed shuttle hurdle relay squad at the IAAF World Relays Yokohama 2019, won the 110m hurdles in a wind-assisted time of 13.42 (+2.3) holding off four-time Italian champion Hassane Fofana, who finished second in 13.46 ahead of 2019 European Indoor champion Milan Traijkovic (13.51).

Former world bronze medallist O’Dayne Richards from Jamaica reached 20.43m with his first throw to clinch the men’s shot put, beating Maksim Afonin (20.41m) and last week’s European U23 silver medallist Leonardo Fabbri (20.20m).

Kenya’s Eunice Sum, the 2013 800m world champion, held off Ukraine’s Olha Lyakhova in the final sprint to clinch the her specialty in 2:00.99 to take her second consecutive race one week after winning another two-lap competition on Italian soil in Lignano Sabbiadoro.

Byron Robinson of the US edged out compatriot Amere Lattin in a close men’s 400m hurdles race, 49.14 to 49.24.

Trumaine Jefferson of the US won the men’s long jump with 8.03m beating Great Britain’s Dan Bramble (7.96m).

This year’s Asian and World University Games champion Ernest John Obiena cleared 5.55m at the second time of asking to take the men’s pole vault before failing three attempts at 5.65m.

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF