DOHA, CMC – World 200 metres champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica failed to leave her stamp of authority on the opening World Athletics Diamond League meet in the Qatar capital when American sprint darling Sha’Carri Richardson upstaged her in the women’s 100 metres.
Jackson and Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain appeared to be once again disputing things up front at the halfway mark before Richardson powered through in the closing stages to win in a world-leading time of 10.76 seconds.
Richardson took 0.04 off the meet record set seven years ago by compatriot Tori Bowie, who died earlier this week to earn the early season bragging rights over Jackson, whose 10.85 was good enough for second, and Asher-Smith was third in 10.98.
Overall, it was a disappointing night for the English-speaking Caribbean athletes at the meet, with none registering a win.
The only other podium finish came from two-time world javelin champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, but he too, was upstaged in another thrilling contest in this city.
Indian sensation Neeraj Chopra, who was a last-minute withdrawal from this meet last year, hurled his spear to a world-leading 88.67 metres in the first round, leaving Peters and the other contenders to play catch-up.
The Grenadian responded with 85.88, which remained his best of the night and gave him third, while world and Olympic medallist Jakub Vadlejch came within four centimetres of Chopra’s lead with 88.63 in the third round to land second.
Kehsorn Walcott, the 2012 Olympic javelin champion from Trinidad & Tobago, had to settle for sixth with a best hurl of 81.27 on his third attempt.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won the women’s 400 for the second year in a row, clocking 50.50 – and leaving her English-speaking Caribbean challengers in the dust.
Sada Williams of Barbados ran 52.05 for fourth, Jamaican Candice McLeod finished fifth in 52.43, and her compatriot Stephanie-Ann McPherson clocked a season’s best of 52.93 to grab sixth.
Megan Tapper, another Jamaica, had to settle fourth with a season’s best time of 12.76 in the women’s 100 hurdles, which was won by Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico in 12.48 from the American duo of Alaysha Johnson with a time of 12.66 and Nia Ali running 12.69.
Bermudian Jah-Nhai Perinchief finished a commendable sixth with a season’s best distance of 16.86 metres in the men’s triple jump, which was really a three-way contest between winner Pedro Pichardo of Portugal with a marginally wind-assisted, season’s best measurement of 17.91, Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkino Faso with 17.81, and Cuban Andy Diaz Hernandez with 17.80.
Never before had three men gone beyond 17.70 in the same triple jump competition in any conditions, but four men surpassed the mark with Lázaro Martínez of Cuba logging a distance of 17.71.
The second Diamond League meet of the season takes place on May 28 in the Morocco capital of Rabat.
