OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, CMC- Men’s Olympic 400-meter champion Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas maintained his unbeaten streak to lead Caribbean performers at the Golden Spike meet on Tuesday in the Czech Republic.
The 28-year-old, who claimed the world title five years ago in Doha, Qatar, went out hard and looked ready to cruise to victory during the meet, a leg of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, at the Mestský Stadion.
Despite facing a fierce challenge from world indoor champion Alexander Doom of Belgium, Gardiner showcased his unwavering determination. He dug deep and prevailed, crossing the finish line in a season’s best time of 44.39 seconds, a mere five-hundredths of a second faster than his challenger.
Though narrowly missing the Belgian national record by one-hundredths of a second, Doom ended with a personal best time, a testament to his exceptional performance. Sean Bailey of Jamaica also shone, securing a commendable third place in a season’s best 44.93 secs.
While Jamaican sprinters put up a strong fight, they were outpaced by the unstoppable Andre De Grasse of Canada. The multiple Olympic and world medallist’s sprint double was a thrilling display of his class and skill.
World Championship finalist Ryiem Forde of Jamaica clocked 10.17 to come second in the men’s 100 dash, finishing between De Grasse, the reigning Olympic 200 champion, whose time was 0.07 faster, and Italian Marcell Jacobs, the reigning Olympic 100 champion, with a time of 10.19.
Andrew Hudson, another World Championship finalist from Jamaica, ran 20.56 to come runner-up in the men’s 200. Still, returning to the track about an hour-and-a-half after the 100 for his specialty, De Grasse won that too, in 20.09, with Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Great Britain taking third in 20.63.
The men’s javelin closed the program, and two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada hurled 78.60 meters and finished third, far behind the winner Julian Weber of Germany, whose throw of 87.26m in the second round denied hometown favorite Jakub Vadlejch.
The distance for Weber was more than a meter farther than Vadlejch, the Olympic and world medallist could manage, and the Czech had to settle for second with 86.08 from his first throw.
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