Kirani James wins gold at Grand Prix Lombardia, now aiming for Diamond League Finals

Kirani James added another accolade to his bag by claiming the gold medal in the Men’s 400m race at the Grand Prix Lombardia in Brescia on Sunday, 8^th September 2024. He clocked an impressive time of 44.86 seconds to claim victory and is now aiming to conclude his athletic season 2024 on a high note at the Diamond League Finals in Brussels.

Bayapo Ndori from Botswana finished the race at 45.26 seconds, securing second position. The third position was claimed by Wendell Miller from the Bahamas, clocking the time of 45.97 seconds.

Recently, Kirani James also participated in the Rome Diamond League in the Men’s 400m race. He won the silver medal by clocking a time of 44.30 seconds. He was left behind by Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga, who won the race with a time of 43.99 seconds. The third place was secured by Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago, who finished in 44.55 seconds.

The Rome Diamond League was James’ first race after the Paris Olympics 2024. While shedding light on the race, he stated that it was really tough for him to compete after a major championship but he had to find a way to keep the fight going and make his nation proud of his achievements.

Despite his best efforts and securing first position in the semi-final round with an impressive time of 43.78 seconds, he failed to win a medal for his nation in the Paris Olympics 2024. He finished the race in fifth place in the Men’s 400m by clocking a time of 43.87 seconds.

Kirani James stated that he was definitely carrying a baggage of not winning any medal in Paris Olympics 2024 for his nation. But he was optimistic and gave his 100% in the Rome Diamond League to qualify for the Diamond Leagues finals in Brussels.

For the same, he will be heading to Belgium to compete in the 400m race on Friday, 13^th September 2024. The Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell and also the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Grenada’s Athletes Commission all have extended congratulations to the athlete and have sent him best wishes for the Brussels race.

Notably, Kirani James is known as one of the most decorated athletes of Grenada who became a World Champion at the age of 18 and an Olympic Champion a year later at London 2012. He also became Grenada’s first ever medallist in the history of the Games, claiming silver behind Wayde Van Niekerk in a race for the ages at Rio 2016.

Such determination and hard work for his passion truly make Kirani James an inspiration for aspiring athletes who want to represent their nation on an international platform.