Olympic 400m champion Steven Gardiner took another step in his comeback journey, finishing fourth in the men’s 200m at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on Friday. Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith impressed in the women’s long jump, narrowly missing the podium amid a highly competitive, fiercely contested field.
Steven Gardiner won his 200m heat in 20.40 seconds but finished fourth overall after combining times from both sections. The Bahamian superstar, who has battled injuries over the past three years, including setbacks at the 2024 Paris Olympics, faced a slight headwind of -1.0 m/s in his race.
The fastest time of the day came from Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh, who blazed to victory in 20.07 seconds (+1.3 m/s) in the second heat. He was followed by Javonte’ Harding (20.19) and Demarius Smith (20.29), highlighting the depth of competition at the meet.
In the women’s long jump, Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith produced a best leap of 6.54m (+1.2), securing fourth place in a stacked field. The Tokyo Olympian opened with 6.41m before hitting her top mark in the third round. Despite her consistency, she was just two centimeters shy of third place.
The event was won by Florida junior Anthaya Charlton, who soared to a lifetime best of 6.82m (+0.6). She narrowly beat Tacoria Humphrey of Illinois (6.73m), as Jasmine Moore of Puma finished third with 6.56m jump.
British Virgin Islands’ Olympian Chantel Malone also competed, finishing seventh with a best jump of 6.38m (-1.1). While Malone had five legal jumps, she couldn’t quite crack the top tier in a field filled with elite competitors.
The Tom Jones Invitational continues through Saturday, with several Caribbean athletes expected to feature in sprint and field events.