Six Jamaican Athletes Enter Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica will have six athletes in action on Wednesday at the 2026 Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event. The group includes Olympic men’s discus record holder Roje Stona and former Commonwealth Games women’s shot put champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd, along with 400m hurdler Assine Wilson, long jumpers Ackelia Smith and Nia Robinson, and high jumper Lamara Distin.

Stona enters the men’s discus against a loaded field featuring the world’s top three throwers: Matt Denny of Australia, Germany’s Steven Richter and Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh. Sweden’s Daniel Stahl is also in the line-up. Stona sits seventh in the global rankings and owns a season-best mark of 70.66m.

Thomas-Dodd, whose best throw this season is 19.34m, is also scheduled for a difficult contest. Her rivals include Dutch world leader Jessica Schilder, Chase Jackson of the United States and Canada’s Sarah Mitton.

Wilson goes into the men’s 400m hurdles as the leading contender after clocking 48.29 seconds in March, a personal best that is tied for 10th on Jamaica’s all-time list. He will be challenged mainly by Slovenia’s Matic Gucek, Botswana’s Kamorena Tisang and Great Britain’s Alastair Chalmers. Wilson is coming off victory on Monday at the Josef Odlozil Memorial in Czechia.

Smith has had a heavy competition schedule over the past month, appearing at four meets. She was second at the Goldenes Oval meet in Dresden, Germany, where she jumped 6.54m. In Turku, Smith and Robinson, a World Athletics Indoor Championships finalist in March, will face Americans Monae Nichols and Claire Bryant, as well as Marthe Koala of Burkina Faso.

Distin, after competing at the last two Diamond League meets, will contest the women’s high jump. Her field includes Ukraine’s Yulia Levchenko and Sweden’s Louise Ekman, who has the strongest marks among the entrants so far.