Jamaica gained its first medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China courtesy of Raymond Richards who won the bronze in the high jump with a leap of 2.28m on the first day of action on Friday which saw eight Jamaicans competing.

Richards, who has been in good form all season, had the same mark as second-placed Hamish Kerr of New Zealand as Sanghyeok Woo of South Korea struck gold with 2.31m. Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford was 9^th with 2.14m.

After day one, Jamaica are 12th in the medal table headed by China, Finland, Great Britain and Italy all having won gold.

Earlier, Jordon Scott was awarded fourth in the men’s triple jump after finishing fifth with 17.10m but lodged a protest that saw third-place finisher Almir Dos Santos of Brazil being disqualified for not complying with the shoe rules.

Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez won with a world-leading 17.80m that moved him to fifth on the world indoor all-time list. China’s Zhu Yaming leapt 17.33m to secure the silver while Burkina Faso’s defending champion Hugues Fabrice Zango jumped 17.15m for fourth initially but was promoted to a bronze medal.

Meanwhile, Jamaica was not too successful on the track as Rohan Watson was fifth in the men’s 60m final, clocking 6.59 and Nishion Ebanks stopped the clock at 6.70 and failed to advance out of his heats.

Jeremiah Azu of Great Britain took gold in a personal best 6.49 ahead of Australian rising star Lachlan Kennedy who was second in 6.50. South Africa’s veteran Akani Simbine won bronze with 6.54.

Jamaica’s only competitor in the men’s 400m Rusheen McDonald finished fifth in the semis in 47.22 and failed to reach the final. Earlier he clocked a season’s best 46.72 in his heat.

In the women’s 400m, Leah Anderson was second in her heat in 52.86 and failed to advance while Joanna Reid failed to show for her heat.

In the women’s shot put, Jamaica’s Lloydricia Cameron threw 17.43m and finished 13^th overall. Gold went to Sarah Milton of Canada with 20.48 ahead of Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands with 20.07 with silver. Chase Jackson of the USA won bronze with 20.06m.

The Championship will continue on Friday night, Jamaica time, with Demario Prince and Jerome Campbell in the men’s 60m hurdles and Jodean Williams and Natasha Morrison in the women’s 60m dash.