By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
Sprinter Tynia Gaither and high jumper Donald Thomas, competing on the World Athletics Continental Tour 2022, got fifth and sixth place in their respective events as they continued to compete in Europe on Monday.
Competing at the 12th Gyulia Istvan Memorial in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Gaither sped to a fifth place in the women’s 200 metres in 22.63 seconds as Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson took the victory in 22.02.
Mujinga Kambundji, of Switzerland, was the runner-up in 22.45, while Americans Kayla White was third in 22.46 and Tamara Clark was fourth in 22.56. It was Gaither’s second straight meet since she left the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, where she placed seventh in the final of the women’s 100m behind Jamaican gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah.
Gaither, the 29-year-old national 100m champion, just competed in the Slesia Wanda Diamond League on Saturday when she ran 22.70 for fourth place in a race that saw two-time Olympic and current world 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo place second in 22.35. Jackson won in 21.84.
National champion Thomas, competing in his specialty in the men’s high jump at the meet in Hungary, was tied for sixth place with Péter Bakosi after they both cleared 7-feet, 0 1/4-inches or 2.14 metres.
Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy won the event with 7-4 ¼ (2.24m), the same height of Tobias Potye of Germany. Ukraine’s Andriy Protsenko was third, Edgar Rivera of Mexico fourth and Péter Bakosi fifth, all with the same height of 7-1 ¾ (2.18m).
It was Thomas’ first meet since Birmingham where he fell short of getting on the podium with fourth place in the men’s high jump at the Commonwealth Games.
Today in the next meet in the Monaco Wanda Diamond League, Thomas and Miller-Uibo are expected to take to the track.
Thomas, 38, is entered in the men’s high jump where he will be facing Qatar’s world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim, Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Americans JuVaughn Harrison and Shelby McEwen as well as Django Lovett of Canada. With some unfinished business in the 400m, 28-year-old Miller- Uibo will return to the 400m where she will contend with Barbados’ Sada Williams, who is coming off her Commonwealth Games record-setting performance in the women’s 400m in 49.90.
Gaither, Thomas and Miller-Uibo are then expected to return home to compete in the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships.
The latter event (see sidebar), is scheduled for August 18-21 at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
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