ATHLETICS-Richards grabs high jump bronze, Alfred predictably through to 60m semis.

TORUN, Poland, CMC – Raymond Richards captured Jamaica’s second medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, copping bronze in the men’s high jump here on Saturday.

Richards leapt a season’s best 2.26 metres to finish in a tie for third place with Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo. The event was won by Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine, who cleared 2.30 metres, with Mexico’s Erick Portillo taking silver after clearing the same height.

Richards, who also finished third last year in Nanjing, had first-time clearances at 2.17m, 2.22m, and 2.26m, the same as Woo, the winner in China.

Another Jamaican, Romaine Beckford, finished ninth after jumping 2.22 metres.

Meanwhile, Saint Lucia’s Olympic champion Julien Alfred and Brianna Lyston of Jamaica led a strong Caribbean showing in the women’s 60 metres.

Alfred and Lyston clocked the fastest times of the opening round to easily qualify for the semifinals, slated to be held later this evening.

The 24-year-old Alfred cantered to victory in Heat 4 in a time of 7.06 seconds, well ahead of Canada’s Sade McCreath (7.16), who was a distant second.

Lyston also ran the same time on her way to winning Heat 6, narrowly ahead of the USA’s Jacious Spears (7.07).

Also booking their spot in the semis was Jamaica’s Jonielle Smith, who ran 7.13 seconds to comfortably win the opening heat, with Jael Bestue of Spain second in 7.18 seconds.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Leah Bertrand, along with Antigua and Barbuda’s Soniya Jones, both failed to advance.

Bertrand placed fourth in Heat 7 in a pedestrian 7.22 seconds, while Jones was seventh in 7.56.

Jamaica’s pair of Demario Prince and Jerome Campbell both qualified for the semifinals of the men’s 60-metre hurdles.

Prince was a clear winner in Heat 1 in 7.58 seconds, while Campbell finished third in Heat 4 in 7.67 seconds.

Tahj Brown of The Bahamas placed eighth in the opening heat in 8.30 seconds and did not advance.

There was disappointment for Jamaica in the finals of the 4×400 mixed relay, with the quartet of Delano Kennedy, Shana Anderson, Kimar Farquharson, and Leah Anderson being disqualified.

Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin was also eliminated at the semifinal stage of the women’s 800 metres after finishing fourth in Heat 3 in 2:00.69.