Gold Coast Diary: Fast times in Brisbane, Christabel Nettey takes WL in LJ with 6.92 meters

BRISBANE (AUS, Mar 28): In blustery conditions at the Queensland International Track Classic, Zharnel Hughes won the 200m in a fast 20.23 against a headwind of 1.6 m/s with Botswana’s Isaac Makwala winning a separate 200m race in 20.51 (-0.9). Elaine Thompson was one of a number of leading Jamaicans in action, winning the 100m in 11.72 (-1.7 m/s) although Dina Asher-Smith was much faster at 11.31 (-1.0) in a another 100m race. Yohan Blake was the fastest overall in the 100m with 10.34 (no wind reading) while last year’s breakout hurdler Ronald Levy won the 110m hurdles in 13.83 (-1.8) with world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi only fourth in 13.99. Reigning Commonwealth champion Stephenie-Ann McPherson won the 400m in 51.07 with former world champion Amantle Montsho winning a separate race in 51.79 while teammate Shericka Jackson was the fastest across two races of the 200m in 23.05 (-1.3). There were good wins in the 400m hurdles from Jack Green (49.80) and South Africa’s Wenda Nel (55.01) and Laura Weightman clocked a fast 4:05.89 to win the 1500m. The highlight on the in-field was an excellent long jump in which Canada’s Christabel Nettey went out to a wind-legal world-leading 6.92m (1.8) ahead of Brooke Stratton (6.88m, 1.9) although Shara Proctor’s 6.84m was just over the legal wind limit at 2.3 m/s. World finalist Kelsey-Lee Roberts extended her PB to 64.57m to win the javelin with teammate Hamish Peacock going out to 80.25m in the men’s javelin. Brandon Starc cleared 226 in the high jump. In the hammer, Chris Bennett went out to 74.08m with Osian Jones setting a Welsh record of 71.62m in second while Canada’s Jillian Weir surpassed the 70m line in the women’s event with 70.72m. Also in the field, Damian Birkenhead won the shot put with 20.30m and Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.45m in the pole vault. England won both 4x100m relays in world-leading times of 38.31 (Kilty, Hughes, Gemili, Aikines-Aryeetey) ahead of Canada 38.97 and 43.20 (Philip, Asher-Smith, B. Williams, Humphreys) respectively and Dane Bird-Smith won the 3000m race walk in 10.56.06 ahead of Canada’s Evan Dunfee (11:28.41).