Elle Purrier-St. Pierre, Mikiah Brisco, Chase Ealey Deliver Silver-Medal Performances In Belgrade

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The United States earned medals in all six of Friday's finals, and pulled seven medals overall, out of the first day of the World Athletics Indoor Championsihps in Belgrade, Serbia. 

In a speedy women's 60-meter dash final, Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland ran the fourth-fastest time in history, 6.96 seconds, to reach the finish line ahead of Americans Mikiah Brisco (6.99) and Marybeth Sant-Price (7.04), who placed second and third. 

It was a blanket finish for the bronze position, with four women timed in 7.04 seconds. Sant-Price reached the finish line .002 seconds ahead of Poland's Ewa Swoboda. 

In the women's 3,000 meters, Elle Purrier-St. Pierre used a strong finishing kick to split the two Ethiopian runners for second place and the silver medal, running 8:42.04. 

Ethiopia's Lemlem Hailu won the gold with 8:41.82 and her teammate Ejgayehu Taye was third in 8:42.23. 

In the women's shot put, Chase Ealey matched Michelle Carter's American indoor record of 66-3.75 (20.21m), but Portugal's Auriol Dongmo launched a world-leading 67-0.50 (20.43m) to secure the win and the gold medal. U.S. champion Maggie Ewen finished fifth. 

In the men's long jump, season's best marks by Marquis Dendy and Jarrion Lawson netted third and fourth place. Greece's Miltiadis Tentoglou jumped 28-0.75 (8.55m) on his second attempt for a mark that held up for the gold medal. The Americans were sitting in second and third place when Sweden's Thobias Montler got off a sixth-round jump of 27-6 (8.38m) to move into second position. 

Dendy jumped 27-1.75 (8.27m) on his third attempt and proceeded to pass and then foul twice on his final three attempts. 

Lawson, the U.S. champion, jumped 26-10.50 (8.19m) on his third round jump. He fouled his fifth and sixth attempts. 

In the men's triple jump, Donald Scott edged American teammate Will Claye by two centimeters for the bronze medal (17.21m to 17.19m). 

They both trailed Cuba's Lazaro Martinez, who jumped a world-leading 57-10.50 (17.64m), and Portugal's Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who broke his national indoor record with 57-3.50 (17.46m). 

Noor Vidts of Belgium won the women's pentathlon with 4,929 points as she out-performed her competition in four of the five events, including the 800 meters, where she ran 2:08.81. 

Adriana Sulek of Poland was second with 4,851 points and earned the top score in the high jump. 

American Kendell Williams earned the bronze with 4,680 points. She finished seven points ahead of Great Britain's Holly Mills to secure her medal.