Jamaican World 200m Champion Shericka Jackson got back to winning ways in the shorter sprint with victory at the Meeting Internazionale di Atletica Leggera in Italy on Saturday.

Jackson, who also took silver in the 100m at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Eugene, ran a modest, by her standards, 11.13 into a -0.2 m/s headwind to take the win ahead of fellow Jamaicans Natasha Morrison (11.31) and Shokoria Wallace (11.36).

In the 400m, Junelle Bromfield produced 52.35 for a comfortable victory ahead of Ukraine’s Kateryna Karpyuk (53.10) and Slovakia’s Alexandra Bezekova (54.27).

Former national record holder Rusheen McDonald ran 46.56 for second in the men’s equivalent behind Canada’s Cole Austin (45.51). Italy’s Giuseppe Leonardi was third in 47.43.  

Andrenette Knight, Rasheed Dwyer and Chanice Porter were among the winners at the American Track League meeting in Marietta, Georgia on Saturday. There were also podium places for quarter-milers Rusheen McDonald, Demish Gaye as well as shot putter O’Dayne Richards.

Olympic medalists Ronald Levy and Briana Williams as well as Natasha Morrison and Jaheel Hyde enjoyed podium finishes at the ISTAF Berlin meeting in Germany on Sunday.

As she looks forward to what could be her final race this season on the final day of the Diamond League season in Zurich on Thursday, double, double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah said she kind of surprised herself with the incredible success she has experienced this year.

Since she won her first sprint double in 2016, the first woman to do so since Florence Griffith-Joyner at the Seoul Games in 1988, Thompson-Herah failed to win a medal at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. However, at the Toyko 2020 Olympics this past summer, Thompson-Herah became the first woman in Olympic history to win back-to-back sprint doubles.

She set a new Olympic record of 10.51 in the 100m and set a lifetime best of 21.53 to win the 200m titles. She added a third gold medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team that set a new national record of 41.02, the third-fastest time in history.

Weeks later she won the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in 10.54, the second-fastest time ever run and then followed up with 10.64 to finish second to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in Lausanne and then 10.72 in Paris.

Speaking at a press conference this morning before she takes to the track on Thursday, the history-making Olympic champion said she has not yet had time to take it all in.

“It hasn’t sunk it as yet. I think because I knew I had a long season I don’t want to get too carried away, too excited and the focus is still continuing the season for next year and the years to come. After the season ends I can say hurrah, hooray and I watch back my videos and see what I have done and say yes, I did it,” she said.

“Being the fastest woman alive, I think I still haven’t known what I have done yet. Because I have put in all the work and I have achieved, it is not something I never expect myself to do but my expectations were not high but I think I surprised myself this entire season with everything that I have done so far.”

On Thursday, Thompson-Herah will line up against Dina Asher-Smith, Natasha Morrison, Javianne Oliver, Daryll Neita, Marie Jose Ta Lou and the Swiss pair of Ajla Del Ponte and Mujinga Kambundji in the 100m.

Shericka Jackson set tongues a-wagging on Thursday night when she ran a new personal best to advance to Friday’s semi-final of the 100m at the Jamaica’s National Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.

Yohan Blake, the 2011 World Champion and double Olympic silver medalist showed glimpses of the Beast, as he also advanced to the semi-finals of the men’s 100m with the fastest time.

Jackson, 26, a 400m specialist, clocked 10.91 and was the fastest among the women. That takes some doing considering that the preliminary round also featured four-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who cruised to victory in her heat in 10.97.

Elaine Thompson-Herah, the 2016 double Olympic champion also looked to be in incredibly great shape as she won her heat in 10.96.  Briana Williams, 2018 World U20, was also a picture of good form in winning her heat in 11.00.

Also among the 16 women advancing to the semi-finals were Natasha Morrison, who was second to Jackson in 11.06 while Shian Hyde was a distant third in 11.50.

Sashalee Forbes advanced from Fraser-Pryce’s heat having run 11.13, close to her personal best of 11.10 while finishing second to the two-time Olympic 100m champion. Remona Burchell, the 2014 NCAA champion, showed the form that made her champion clocking 11.14, a brand new season-best and her fastest time since she ran 11.07 in 2017.

Natalliah Whyte (11.13) and Shockoria Wallace (11.22) advanced from Thompson-Herah’s heat while Kemba Nelson ran 11.05 and Kevona Davis (11.19) advanced from Williams’ heat.

Briana Williams, the national U20 record holder at 10.97, showed that she will not be outrun by anyone cruising to an 11.00 clocking to also advance from Heat 4 along with Kemba Nelson (11.05) and Kevona Davis (11.19).

 Ashanti Moore (11.15), Kashieka Cameron (11.28), Jodean Williams (11.45) and Schillonie Calvert-Powell (11.53) are also through to Friday’s semis.

Meanwhile, Blake looked like the sprinter of a decade ago when only Usain Bolt was faster when he eased to a 10.03 clocking to win his heat. Davonte Burnett was the second-fastest through to the semi-finals when he won his heat in 10.05.

Burnett, whose father is Jamaican, grew up in Massachusetts and attends the University of Southern California. He was fifth in the NCAA Division I finals in 10.19.

Julian Forte and Oblique Seville both looked good while crossing the line together in their heat in 10.08, similar to what happened in the opening heat with Tyquendo Tracey and Nigel Ellis, who were both credited with 10.13.

 Romario Williams, who clocked 10.27, also advanced from that heat.

Also advancing to Friday’s semi-finals were Senoj-jay Givans (10.20), Oshane Bailey (10.26), Andre Ewers (10.22), Bryan Levell (10.25), Jelani Walker (10.32), Michael Campbell (10.25), Ashanie Smith (10.25), Jevaughn Minzie (10.27) and Ramone Barnswell (10.32).

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is set to make her first appearance in a Diamond League race in Oslo on July 1.

Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison blew away the rest of the field on Saturday, at the TRUFit Athletics Sprint Classic, in Florida, to register a new personal best and the second fast time in the women’s 100m this year.

The World Championships relay gold medalist gave an early warning there could be a special run on the cards, after breaking the 11-second barrier in heat 2 of the preliminary round.

In the final, Morrison clocked 10.87 to finish well clear of second-place Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas who stopped the clock at 11.02.   Guyana’s Jasmine Abrams was third in 11.19.

In the men’s equivalent, Jamaica’s Julian Forte had to settle for third spot on the back of a fast run from American quarter-miler Fred Kerley.  With the win barely within the legal limit, Kerley stopped the clock at 9.91 to claim section 1.  He finished ahead of Joshua Washington who was second in 10.01 and Forte third in 10.03.

In the women’s 400m, the fastest time of the day was clocked by Jamaica’s Janieve Russell who recorded 52.12 to claim section 1.  Her compatriot Tiffany James was the winner of section 2 in 52.67 and second fastest overall.  Jordan Lavender was third in 52.82.  In the men’s equivalent, top billing went to Jamaica’s Nathon Allen who took the event in 46.02.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, Olympic and World Championships 400m bronze medalist and former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell have been named to a Jamaican selection that has named to participate in the World Relays set for May 1-2 in Chorzow, Poland.