Jereem Richards grabs 400m bronze at Diamond League, sets personal best

ONE of Trinidad and Tobago's medal hopefuls for the July 26-August 11 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Jereem Richards, smashed his personal best time with a 44.18 seconds clocking for a third-place finish in the 400-metre final at the London Diamond League at the Olympic Stadium on July 20.

At the NGC National Association of Athletics Administrations Junior and Senior Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo on June 29, Richards ran a then-season's best of 44.72 to take the national 400m crown.

In London, running out of the tricky lane eight and against a field which included 2012 400m Olympic champion Kirani James, Richards ran a superb race and maintained his composure to smash his previous personal best time of 44.54.

Richards' run was terrific and he held off late surges from the fourth-placed Dobson Charles (44.23) and the fifth-placed James (44.38). Great Britain's Charles recorded a personal best, with James clocking his season's best.

There was no stopping a rampant Matthew Hudson-Smith, though, as the Great Britain athlete torched the track to finish first in a blistering 43.74 – establishing a sub-44 clocking for the first time in his career. Running out of lane five, Hudson-Smith bolted from the blocks to assert his dominance early, only shutting down his powerful run in the latter stages of the race.

Hudson-Smith's impressive run saw him lowering this year's 400m World-lead time of 43.80, while he also smashed the meet record and the European record.

USA's Vernon Norwood grabbed second spot in 44.10, just edging Richards to third. Norwood was one of four athletes to run a new personal best in the race, and he was also one of five athletes to clock a new season's best in the process.

Richards, 30, is in the midst of a fruitful season and he's listed for both the 200m and 400m events at the upcoming Olympics, to go along with the 4x400m relay event. Richards will hope to take his one-lap form to France as he targets a spot in the final and a subsequent podium spot at the Olympics.