Shericka Jackson after claiming 200m gold in at the World Championships in Budapest.
Loop News/Marlon Reid
“Grateful” was the dominant term used by Jamaican Shericka Jackson after bringing her phenomenal 2023 season to an end at the Diamond League Final at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on Saturday and Sunday.
The 29-year-old entered the meet as the reigning Diamond trophy winner in the 200m and was aiming to defend that title as well as claim her maiden trophy in the 100m.
She did the latter on Friday, running 10.70 for victory. Saturday saw the two-time World Champion claim her second straight trophy in the 200m, running a meet record 21.57, her fourth straight time below 22 seconds, for a comfortable win.
Jackson mentioned after the 200m that winning both trophies has been among her goals for the past two seasons.
“Last year I wrote on my goals that I want two Diamond League trophies and I didn’t get them. I wrote that again this year and now I’ve got it and I’m grateful. It’s the end of the season, I’m healthy and I’ve run some fast times so I’m definitely grateful,” she said.
Another of Jackson’s goals this season was to break Florence Griffith-Joyner’s long-standing world record of 21.34 set in 1988.
Despite not getting it done, Jackson was pleased with her work in 2023.
“I’m feeling good. I said it in a previous interview that If I don’t get it I’m okay but if I do get it it’s a plus. I didn’t get it this year and I’m okay and happy. I’m still grateful for being healthy and I was so consistent. I only ran 21.4 once last season and to be able to run three this year, I’m feeling good,” she said.
Her consistency was indeed the most impressive part of her season in both the 100m and 200m.
In 14 100m races this season, Jackson ran faster than 10.8 six times including her personal best of 10.65 done to defend her Jamaican 100m title in July. Jackson also ran 10.72 for silver at the World Championships in Budapest.
In the half-lap event, Jackson ran 11 races with seven seeing her dip below 22 seconds.
In the last month alone, Jackson has run the 2nd, 4th and 8th fastest times in history with her 21.41 at the World Championships in Budapest, 21.48 at the Brussels Diamond League and 21.57 on Sunday. Jackson also owns the 3rd and 6th fastest times ever.
When asked about her thoughts about the upcoming Olympic year, Jackson said she just wants to enjoy her time off.
“Honestly, I haven’t put any thought into the Olympics yet. I just take it one season at a time. I’m healthy right now and I have probably six weeks break so I want to just enjoy that,” she said.
“I’ve been so focused on doing well this season and now I want to focus on having my break and then I’ll go back to the drawing board,” she added.
Finally, Jackson described the 200m at the Budapest World Championships as the high point of her season.
“The 200m at the World Championships was really the high point of my season. I knew I was in pretty good shape but I didn’t know I was going to run that fast,” she said.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Encouraging victories for Jamaican hurdlers McLeod and Anderson in Savona
Jamaican sprint hurdlers Omar McLeod and Britany Anderson delivered strong performances at the 13th Savona International Meeting in Savona, Italy on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old McLeod, the 2016 Rio Olympics champion in the 110m hurdles, marked an encouraging start to his season with a thrilling victory. The 2017 world champion clocked a winning time of 13.37 seconds in his first competitive race in the event since April 2023 at the LSU Invitational in the United States. Despite facing challenges with rhythm and hitting hurdles during the race, he held off Great Britain's Joshua Zeller (13.42) and Spain's Enrique Llopis (13.43) to secure the victory.
Anderson, meanwhile, the 2022 World Championship silver medalist in the 100m hurdles, continued her impressive form by winning her event with a season-best time of 12.88 seconds. Anderson engaged in a tight battle with Ireland's Zarah Lavin (12.92) and Italy's Eliza Maria Di Lazzaro (12.99), ultimately crossing the line first to claim victory.
Anderson's performance marked a significant improvement from her previous outing, where she clocked 13.23 seconds for victory at the X Athletic Elite Meeting in Milan earlier in April.
With the national championships in Jamaica approaching in just six weeks, the success of both McLeod and Anderson signals promising prospects as they aim to excel and secure coveted spots in Jamaica's Olympic team for the upcoming Games in Paris.
Jamaica's champion Traves Smikle primed for Diamond League debut after impressive JAI victory
Jamaican discus thrower Traves Smikle is riding high on confidence after a convincing win at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational and is now setting his sights on the upcoming Diamond League meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where he will face a formidable field of world-class competitors.
Smikle, who departs the island on Wednesday for the prestigious Diamond League event on Sunday, expressed both excitement and determination about his first appearance in the series. "Encountering a discus field like the one in Rabat for my first Diamond League meet is pretty exciting and crazy at the same time," said Smikle, who has had five wins on the trot this season. "Not many of the big names are missing and I just need to go out there and compete. It’s a game of distance and these guys are good quality throwers, so I just need to hold my own and compete."
His recent performance at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational demonstrated Smikle's capabilities, as he threw an impressive 66.89m to secure victory over his compatriot Fedrick Dacres. Reflecting on this achievement, Smikle emphasized the importance of consistency and translating his current form to European competitions.
"Before coming into this competition, I felt a little tired during the training sessions in the days before," Smikle noted following his win on Saturday. "Coming out today and having another 66m throw is pretty respectable. I am working on my consistency; what I need to do now is when I go to Europe, I translate this sort of performance and better to be competitive among the field."
Looking ahead to his aspirations for the Olympics in Paris this summer, Smikle is focused on pushing his limits and achieving greater distances. "I want to get 68, 69, 70m in a stadium," he explained. "That is what I am working on."
When asked about the steps needed to reach these targets, Smikle highlighted the importance of dedication, patience, and consistency in training. "It’s going to take more work, patience, and greater consistency," emphasized Smikle, who, so far this season, has won with throws of 67.57m, 67.83m, 65.96m, 66.03m and 66.89m. "If you can build up your level of consistency, then at some point your upper limit must get higher."
Matthew Boling thrilled by Jamaica Athletics Invitational experience: "Everyone cheered and it got me hyped..."
Rising American sprinter Matthew Boling expressed his excitement and enthusiasm after competing in the Jamaica Athletics Invitational on Saturday, where he ran a season's best time of 44.98 in the 400m.
Boling, who finished second behind Great Britain's Matthew Hudson Smith, spoke to Sportsmax.TV about his first-time experience in Jamaica and the atmosphere that fueled his performance.
"Yea, I loved the crowd. I like my little intro, everyone cheered and it got me hyped," Boling shared. "I was in the zone and I had to beat my chest a little bit."
Despite his impressive run, Boling indicated that he plans to rest before the upcoming USA trials, hinting at a potential return to Jamaica in the future. "I’d love to come back," he mentioned, reflecting on the lively reception he received from the Jamaican fans.
Regarding his overall season and the challenge of competing in both the 200m and 400m events, Boling expressed satisfaction with his progress, hinting that he could deliver something special at the USA Olympic trials in late June. "I think it’s been going great; the 400m and the 200m seems to be the way I’m heading this year," Boling stated. "I’ve run 10.06, 20.03 and 44.98 so far so I think I’m getting in good shape and getting ready to bust something big out at trials."
Acknowledging the difficulty of taking on the 200m/400m challenge, Boling maintained a positive outlook. "It’s pretty tough but I’m young I’ll recover quick," he remarked with a big smile, demonstrating his determination and optimism for the upcoming competitions.
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