JACKSON CONTINUES HER DOMINANCE IN 200M AS SHE CLOCKS 21:87 IN XIAMEN | WANDA DIAMOND 💎 LEAGUE 2026

 

SPRINT QUEENS TOBI AMUSAN AND SHERICKA JACKSON WILL FACE OFF FOR TBE FIRST TIME IN THE 60M EVENT AT RENOWNED MEET IN JAMAICA

Nigerian hurdling sensation Tobi Amusan is scheduled for her first race of the 2025 season against a formidable force in Shericka Jackson at the Queen’s / Grace Jackson Meet in Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday.

The reigning women's 100mH world record holder who made a coaching switch in September 2024 to join the tutelage of renowned coach Glen Mills in Jamaica, will compete in the 60m to officially kick off her season.

Amusan last competed in the 60m in 2019 during her college days, when she ran a personal best of 7.41s. In Jamaica, the talented speedster will aim to lower her time and perhaps upset homegirl Jackson to a win, which will be a confidence boost for the rest of the year after a heartbreaking end to the 2024 season.

Jackson also targets a comeback year to prove and reclaim her status as one of the world's best sprinters. An injury-plagued 2024 season stopped her Olympic ambitions, so hopefully the woes are behind, and making a statement in her season's debut against Amusan will set her goals for the year rolling ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo in the summer.

Also listed to run the women’s 60m are former world junior champion Anthonique Strachan, and Jonielle Smith. Other stars expected to compete are Zharnel Hughes, Tyquendo Tracy, and Brendon Rodney.

NOTE: The meet is non-World Athletics certified so will not count for qualification purposes.

 - Funmilayo Fameso 

THOMPSON SETS WORLD-LEADING MARK TO WIN JAMAICA 100M

Kishane Thompson - Ian Allen photo

 Kishane Thompson registered a sizzling world-leading mark of 9.77 seconds to win the men's 100 metres at the Jamaican Olympic trials on Friday, becoming the joint ninth fastest man in history.

Two-time World Championships finalist Oblique Seville was second in 9.82, while World Indoor 60m bronze medallist Ackeem Blake finished third in 9.92.

Thompson, who is in only his second season as a professional, had not raced at all this season before the Jamaican championship and told Reuters he believes he can go faster.

"My coach instructed me just to run the first 60 metre, nothing more, after that, shut it down," he said.

"If I came second or third, I would’ve made the team. The goal wasn’t to prove anything tonight, just run the 70 or 60 metres and see where I was."

Thompson, now the fourth fastest Jamaican - behind Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell - said he had much to improve on making his Olympic debut in Paris.

“It's kind of new to me, but I'm getting it slowly,” he said.

Shericka Jackson recovered from a poor start to win the women's 100m in 10.84, clawing her way from the back of the field after 30 metres to power past Tia Clayton (10.90) and twice Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.94).

Jackson, the back-to-back world champion in the 200m, said winning was more important than running a faster time.

“Coach and I sat down and talked about how we wanted the approach the season, and I think we did pretty good, having only ran one 100m prior to the national trials,” Jackson told Reuters.

“It’s a work in progress and I will now turn my attention to retaining my 200m title over the next two days."

Malik James-King won the 400m hurdles in 47.42, moving up to number five in the world this season as he crossed the finish 0.62 seconds ahead of national record holder Roshawn Clarke, while Jaheel Hyde was third in 48.35.

James-King said he never panicked, even as he left it until hurdle number nine to catch Clarke.

"I was actually focusing on my lane and the hurdles in front of me while biding my time to execute down the home stretch," he said.

On the women's side, twice world championship bronze medallist Rushell Clayton sped to a lifetime best 52.51, the second-fastest time this season, to secure her first Olympic berth.

"My aim was to execute an awesome race... and I think I got my stride 99% close to perfect tonight to move up to 52.51," she said.

Janieve Russell (53.33) and Shiann Salmon (53.71) completed the podium spots.

Deandre Watkin ran a massive personal best of 44.48 to win the men’s 400m, while Sean Bailey finished second in 44.65, while JeVaughn Powell ended third in 44.79.

- Kayon Raynor

NORWAY'S INGEBRIGTSEN BREAKS 2,000M IN BRUSSELS

Reuters 

Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke a 24-year-old world record in the rarely run 2,000 metres in the Diamond League meeting in Brussels on Friday.

On a warm evening in the Belgian capital, the 22-year-old who is the world 5,000 metre champion and Olympic champion at 1,500 metres, set a time of 4 minutes 43.13 seconds to beat the previous record of 4:44.79 by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.

Ingebrigtsen, who set a world record at two miles in Paris in June, said he had been helped by pace-makers going a little further than expected and now had a thirst for further records, from his speciality of 1,500 metres eventually to as much as a marathon.

SHANTI PEREIRA BREAKS SINGAPORE RECORD, QUALIFIES FOR 200M SEMIS AT WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Reuters

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s reigning Asian champion Shanti Pereira booked her spot in the 200m semi-finals at the World Athletics Championships on Wednesday, breaking her national record along the way.

At the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, she clocked 22.57 seconds to finish second in Heat 3 behind Jamaica’s defending champion Shericka Jackson (22.51sec).

Pereira’s time also matches the event’s entry mark of 22.57 for the Paris 2024 Olympics. She is the first Singaporean to meet an Olympic qualifying standard and reach the semi-finals of the world championships.

WOMEN'S 100M | SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON BEATS SHERICKA JACKSON | WANDA DIAMOND 💎 LEAGUE

 

SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON BEATS SHERICKA JACKSON | #SILESIADL

Getty

10.76🇺🇸Sha'Carri Richardson

10.78🇯🇲Shericka Jackson

10.94🇵🇱Ewa Swoboda (PB)

10.99🇺🇸Twanisha Terry (SB)

11.01🇬🇧Daryll Neita

11.05🇧🇸Anthonique Strachan

11.09🇩🇪Gina Luckenkemper

11.15🇳🇿Zoe Hobbs

11.18🇯🇲Shashalee Forbes

WRAPUP ATHLETICS - FORMIDABLE US TEAM BUILD ON MEDAL HAUL IN BUDAPEST

USA TODAY Sports 

Sha'Carri Richardson will represent the United States' best hope of keeping the women's world 100m title out of Jamaican hands next month, while Gabby Thomas showed she will be a huge threat in the 200m as the U.S. Championships wrapped up in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday.

Breakout star Cravont Charleston joins defending champion Fred Kerley in the team for the men's 100m as the Americans look to improve on the record 33 world championship medals they collected last year when the 2023 edition kicks off on Aug. 19.

LONG JUMPERS PINNOCK, RICKETTS HIGHLIGHT DAY THREE OF JAMAICA 🇯🇲 CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

NCAA Champion Wayne Pinnock signalled his intention to challenge for a medal at this summer's World Championships in Budapest by leaping 8.32 metres to retain his long jump title ahead of 2019 gold medallist Tajay Gayle with 8.27m on Saturday's third and penultimate day of the Jamaican Championships.

Following a ninth place finish in Oregon last summer, Pinnock, who sits third in the world with a mark of 8.37m achieved two months ago, is now aiming to get to the final and secure an elusive medal.

SHERICKA JACKSON WINS 200M FINALS