STOCKHOLM, Sweden, , CMC – Women’s world 200 metres champion, Shericka Jackson of Jamaica bounced back from defeat in her previous outing to run a season’s best time in one of the highlights of the Swedish athletics gala, the seventh leg of the World Athletics Diamond League series, on Sunday. The 29-year-old sprint queen clocked 22.69 seconds, which is more than a second off of her lifetime best, but a strong headwind at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium suggested that there is much more to come during the remainder of the season.
Jackson will also be satisfied with the manner of her victory, which will give her a significant boost of confidence after she lost her two-year winning streak last week at the Bislett Games in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, and Olympic trials in her homeland around the corner.She came off the bend with a clear lead and continued to pull away from the field, leaving hometown darling, Julia Henriksson to take second in a personal best 22.89 secs, and Amy Brunt of Great Britain third in 22.92. A spicy showdown between Jackson and Brittany Brown of the United States did not materialise after the American withdrew from the half-lap race after taking third in a close 100m dash in a season’s best 11.18.
African Games champion Gina Bass of Gambia got off to the best start and won it on the dip in 11.15, holding off a strong challenge from runner-up Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith of the Ivory Coast, a mere one hundredths-of-a-second behind; Natasha Harrison of Jamaica clocked 11.41 and was seventh.
The three Jamaican women that finished 1-2-3 in the 400 hurdles in Oslo were no match for undisputed world champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, and they trailed her home in a highly anticipated contest.
The Dutchwoman was contesting her first outdoor 400 hurdles race of the year and that may have explained why it took her a while to move into the lead – but once she took over in the home straight, she pulled away from Rushell Clayton, Andrenette Knight, and Janieve Russell to win in 53.07.
Clayton, the winner in Oslo, finished second in 53.78, while Knight and Russell set season’s best times of 54.62 and 54.99, respectively.
Three Caribbean women occupied the first three slots in the women’s triple jump with world indoor silver medallist Leyanis Pérez Hernández of Cuba extending her unbeaten streak this outdoor season, bounding out to a season’s best of 14.67 metres in the third round.
Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica finished behind her after she cleared 14.40m in the second round, and she finished ahead of world indoor champion Thea La Fond of Dominica, whose best measurement was 14.26 in the third round.
In other results involving English-speaking Caribbean athletes, Ryiem Brown of Jamaica clocked 10.22 secs and was fourth in the men’s 100 dash, where only three hundredths-of-a-second separated the top three finishers.
Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon won in 10.16 from Kyree King of the United States with 10.18 and Chituru Ali of Italy with 10.19.
Danniel Thomas-Dodd was fifth with a measurement of 18.77 metres in the third round of the women’s shot putt, where Chase Jackson of the United States got the better of world leader and world indoor champion Sarah Mitton of Canada.
Mitton took an early lead with 19.33m, but Jackson responded in the second round with 20.00 flat before the Canadians improved to 19.98 – but neither woman went any further; European champion Jessica Schilder was third with 19.08m.
Fedrick Dacres tossed the discus 64.21m and was second after the first round, but the six that finished before him – including the top three – threw further in the succeeding rounds.
World record-holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania made it six wins out of six starts this year after he got off to a modest start, but then unleashed a throw of 68.64 in the third round to move into pole position and stayed there for the rest of the evening.
Matt Denny of Australia finished second with 66.75, moving ahead in the final round of Swedish world and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl, whose best effort was of 66.10.
