Tara Davis, Terrance Laird and Shamier Little excel at the Texas Relays on a busy weekend of track and field action

All British eyes this week were on the Olympic marathon and 20km walk trials but there was still plenty of other action – mostly on the track all around the world this weekend.

Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Austin, March 27
This proved one of the best outdoor track meetings of the year so far with a multitude of world leads.

While the major action was predominantly on the track it was newly crowned NCAA indoor long jump champion Tara Davis who produced the highlight with a huge PB leap of 7.14/1.0. That came after two no jumps and then a 6.97/1.0 world lead in the third before she greatly improved that in the fourth round and her 7.14m was also a Collegiate record and bettered world heptathlon record-holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s 6.99m from 1985.

World indoor bronze medallist Ronnie Baker won the 100m in 9.94/1.4 while NCAA indoor 200m runner-up Terrance Laird ran an exceptional last 50 metres to improve his PB to 19.81/0.8.

Terrance Laird scorches to 19.81 (0.8) for 200m at the Texas Relays. ? pic.twitter.com/IwzgBEq6IE

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) March 27, 2021

Also going top of the world outdoor rankings was Jamaican Damion Thomas with a 13.22/1.3 110m hurdles and Bryce Deadmon’s 44.62 for 400m – both of which were PB times.

Women were also topping the outdoor world lists with Gabrielle Thomas’s 22.17/0.7 200m and 2015 world 400m hurdles silver medallist Shamier Little again showing good flat speed with a 50.19 400m victory while Tiana Wilson equalled the 100m lead with 11.12/1.8.

Briton Immanuela Aliu set a PB 11.41 in her heat before a 11.43 final and she ran a PB 23.44 in her 200m after a marginally windy 23.30 heat.

World 100m hurdles record-holder Kendra Harrison was fifth in the 200m with 23.04.

The relays also witnessed world leads with UT Elite’s 4x100m in 42.71 and Arkansas in the 4x400m with 3:26.63 and for North Carolina ATT’s men in 3:00.23.

The best field performance came from pole vault world indoor champion Sandi Morris who cleared 4.80m.

Queensland Track Classic, Brisbane, Australia, March 27
There were Olympic qualifiers in the women’s 800m for Catriona Bisset, who won in 1:59.12 just ahead of 1500m runner Linden Hall’s 1:59.22 and for Rohan Browning who won the 100m in 10.05/1.0 from Kiwi teenager Edward Osei-Nketia’s 10.12.

Nina Kennedy continued her good form with 4.75m women’s pole vault victory. Former world discus champion Dani Stevens won the discus with 62.22m but world javelin champion Kelsey-Lee Barber’s 57.74m only placed her third. Britain’s Jade Lally was second in the discus with a 58.24m throw.

The Florida International ‘Pro Addition’, Miramar, USA, March 27
In a high quality long jump, British Virgin Island’s Pan American champion Chantel Malone leapt a national record 7.08/1.4 to deny 2017 World Championships silver medallist Darya Klishina’s wind-assisted 7.05/2.7. It was the Russian’s first competition for almost two years and she also had a legal 7.01/0.8.

High school star Jaylen Slade won the 200m in a wind-assisted 20.27/2.5 narrowly ahead of Trayvon Bromell’s 20.29.

Two past English champions Antonio Infantino (20.38) and Edmond Amaning (20.62) finished third and fourth, with the former now competing for Italy.

Another Briton Lina Nielsen finished second in the 200m in a big PB of 23.13 to head Daryl Neita’s 23.28 making a rare 200m appearance.

Weems Baskin, Columbia, USA, March 26-27
Highly promising AAA under-20 60m champion Amanda Obijiaku, who is still only aged 17, was denied a big 100m PB by a 2.3m/sec tailwind as she ran a wind-assisted 11.39 in second place.

Raleigh, USA, March 26-27
Cravont Charleston gained a 10.10/1.6 and 20.37/1.0 sprint double while Trevor Bassitt achieved a 13.59/1.1 and 49.34 hurdles double, the latter being a world lead.

In women events another good double was achieved by Gabrielle Cunningham’s 11.28/1.1 100m and 12.90/1.1 sprint hurdles. Britain’s NCAA 800m runner-up Finley Mclear won the 800m in 1:47.43. Hannah Segrave, more at home at 800m, set a nine-second PB to win the 1500m in 4:12.24.

New Zealand Championships, Hastings, March 26-27
The highlight of the championships was the women’s hammer as Julia Ratcliffe won with a national record 73.55m but by less than a metre from Lauren Bruce’s 72.76m though third place was over 20 metres further back.

Former global shot champions Tom Walsh (21.79m) and Valerie Adams (18.43m) provided the only other world-class performances with easy victories.

The best track effort came from Zoe Hobbs who equalled the national record in the 100m with a 11.32 victory.

Gauteng North Championships, Pretoria, South Africa, March 26-27
Akani Simbine won the 100m with a fast 9.99 though the official wind reading of -3.0m/sec has been queried given the fast time.

Oshakati, Namibia, March 27
Just 17, Christine Mboma set a 50.97 400m Olympic standard well ahead of the same-aged Beatrice Masilingi’s 51.79 though Masilingi achieved 50.42 in South Africa in December.

Maryland Invitational, College Park, USA, March 7
Briton Divine Oladipo was second in the shot with 16.96m and won the discus with a 52.94m throw.

Thruxton Wheelchair Marathon, March 28
On the famous motor racing circuit, multi Paralympic and London marathon champion David Weir (1:44:46) won the men’s race from Daniel Sidbury (1:46:01) while Shelly Woods (2:00:41) won the women’s race by over two minutes from Mel Nicholls’s 2:22:49.

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Prairie View Relays, USA, March 27
Former world and Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin contributed to his team’s 38.66 4x100m victory.

Concepcion del Uruguay, Argentina, March 27
The best mark came from Chilean Humberto Mansilla, who won the hammer with a 75.47m throw.

Durban, South Africa, March 28
Precious Mashele won the 10,000m in 27:55.87.

Arkansas City, USA, March 26-27
Jamaican Shakwon Coke set an 8.16/2.0 long jump PB.

Cinque Mullini, San Vittore Olona, Italy, March 28
Nibret Melak and Tsehay Gemechu gained an Ethiopian double in this famous cross-country race.

In a competitive men’s 10.2km, Melak won in 28:57 just ahead of Kenya’s Leonard Bett (28:58) and world 5000m champion Muktar Edris (28:59).

In the women’s race, Gemechu won in 18:53 ahead of Kenyans Beatrice Chebet (18:56) and Sheila Chelangat (19:22).

Balkan Walking Championships, Antalya, Turkey, March 27
Meryem Bekmez improved the Turkish women’s 20 km walk record to 1:28:48.

Australian 20km Race Walking Championships, Melbourne, March 27
Jemima Montag won the women’s race in 1:28:50 with Katie Hayward also inside the Olympic standard in second in 1:30:41, while Rhydian Cowley won the men’s race in 1:22:28.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 28
Considering the 2355m altitude (well over 7000 feet), Fentaye Belayneh won the 5km in a quick 15:19 from Medhin Gebreselassie (15:25).