Felix Sanchez meeting in Dominican Republic: Lavanya Williams extends breakout form with meet record

Twenty-year-old Lavanya Williams confirmed her status as the breakout female sprinter for Jamaica this season when she sped to an impressive 10.90 seconds in the women’s 100 metres at the sixth Felix Sanchez Meet in the Dominican Republic, a World Continental Tour Silver meet, on Saturday.

The former William Knibb Memorial and Rusea’s High School athlete’s time was a new meet record and the fifth-fastest by a Jamaican female in the event this season.

Ashanti Moore finished second in 10.97 seconds, the 12th-fastest time by a Jamaican female in the event this season.

Two other Jamaicans placed second on the track, former Vere Technical teammates Amoi Brown and Sanique Walker.

Brown, who represented Jamaica in the women’s 100m hurdles at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, clocked 12.73 to finish behind Amber Hughes of the United States (US), who clocked 12.52. Adeoubi Tabugbo of Nigeria was third in 13.05.

Walker, who had her best moment at this year’s Commonwealth Games when winning the women’s 400m hurdles, returned 54.45, beaten by a meet record 54.19 by Zimbabwean Ashley Miller. Dinodye Denis of Côte d’Ivoire was third in 54.78.

Thrower Lloydricia Cameron finished third in the women’s shot put with a heave of 17.50m.

Rosa Angelica Santana of the Dominican Republic won with 18.39m ahead of Balesy Jennifer Quinonez of Ecuador, with an effort of 17.83m.

Men’s competition

Among the males, there were second-place finishes for Kadrian Goldson and Christopher Taylor.

Goldson, the 2023 World University Games 100m champion, finished second in a wind-assisted 9.90 seconds in the men’s 100 metres. The race, which had a wind reading of +2.4 metres per second (mps), was won by Ronaldo Longa of Colombia in 9.84, with third going to Abdul Rasheed Saminu of Ghana in 9.94.

Jamaica’s Travis Williams finished fifth in 10.00 seconds.

Commonwealth Games 200m bronze medallist Taylor continued his good form in the half-lap event this season, finishing second in 20.39.

The race, with a wind reading of 2.0 mps, was won by Kyree King of the US in 20.28. Yahundris Smdujar De La Cruz of the Dominican Republic was third in 20.48.

Malik James-King was sixth in the men’s 400m hurdles in 50.60, while Tyler Mason, after a second-place finish in the preliminary round of the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.37, failed to finish in the final.