Nugent wins 100m hurdles, Beckford sets high jump PR
CHORZOW, Poland – Arkansas alum Ackera Nugent set a pair of meet records while winning the 100m hurdles at the Silesia Diamond League held Sunday in front of a sellout crowd of 42,300-plus fans.
Razorback Romaine Beckford cleared a career best 7-6 (2.29) to place second in the high jump and is equal No. 5 on the UA all-time list behind a set of four Razorbacks who share the school record of 7-6.5 (2.30).
Racing in the prelims, Nugent registered a meet record of 12.30, with a +0.6 wind, to claim her heat as she bettered the previous meet record of 12.34 set in 2022 by Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.
In the final, racing into a -0.5 headwind, Nugent produced a second meet record with a 12.29 decisive victory. American Grace Stark finished second in 12.37 while Jamaican Danielle Williams placed third in 12.38. Olympic champion Masai Russell finished fourth in 12.40.
“This is my first year of competing as a professional and I feel grateful to just be able to compete against the great ladies,” said Nugent, who has a season best of 12.28. “I’m just getting used to running on the circuit.
“Coming here to compete against all the best in the world, on one hand I did not expect to win, on the other, I knew I just have to execute well and do everything that is under my control. I do not know what is to come for me next season, I just want to have confidence in what I am doing and let things take their turn.”
Beckford, now the No. 2 performer with the equal No. 8 performance on the Jamaican all-time list, cleared the first three bars on first attempts. Those heights included 7-0.25 (2.14), 7-1.75 (2.18), and 7-3.25 (2.22).
While three attempts were needed to make 7-5 (2.26), Beckford managed 7-6 (2.29) on his first attempt. That height bettered his previous outdoor best of 7-5.25 (2.27) from the 2023 NCAA Championships. Beckford also cleared 7-5.25 indoors at the 2024 NCAA Championships.
In equaling Bill Jasinski from 1985 on the UA all-time list with the 7-6 mark, Beckford is just half an inch from the school record that is shared by four Razorbacks. Ray Doakes cleared 7-6.5 (2.30) in 1995, then Matt Hemingway equaled that height in 1996. James Ballard matched the mark in 1997 and was followed by Kenny Evans in 2000.
Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi won the high jump with a 7-7 (2.31) clearance. Third and fourth place also cleared 7-6 with Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine needing two attempts while Korea’s Sanghyeck Woo required three attempts to clear.
In the shot put, Joe Kovacs edged out Ryan Crouser for the victory by three-quarters of an inch. Kovacs claimed the win with a 72-7.75 (22.14) toss while Crouser finished second at 72-7 (22.12) with Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri third at 72-3.5 (22.03).
“It’s frustrating to lose by such a small margin, but this was a really bad day for me,” noted Crouser. “I came in from the U.S. and yesterday was my first full day in Europe. I was jetlagged and did not sleep well.
“I totally missed the first throw, had to do a safety throw in the second round, then missed again, so it was essentially a three-throw competition for me. Still, it is encouraging that I can still do 22 meters on a bad day. I still feel good physically, I just could not execute today.”
Anna Cockrell placed second in the 400m hurdles with a time of 52.88 to finish behind the meet record of 52.13 set by Femke Bol of the Netherlands. Andrenette Knight produced a season best of 53.68 in placing sixth.
In the 400m, Alexis Holmes ran 50.01 for fifth. Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino set a meet record with her 48.66 victory over Salwa Ed Naser (49.23), Natalia Kaczmarek (49.95), and Rhasidat Adeleke (50.00).
