Jamaican athletes Shericka Jackson and Rushell Clayton secured victories at the Wanda Diamond League in Rabat, Morocco, continuing their impressive form on the international stage.
Jackson, the 2023 World 200 meters champion and defending Diamond League champion in the 200m, made her seasonal debut in the half-lap event, clocking a moderate 22.82 seconds. Despite looking a bit rusty, Jackson managed to hold off Maboundou Kone of Côte d’Ivoire, who finished second in 22.96 seconds, and Helen Perisot of France, who ran a personal best of 23.02 seconds to secure third place.
In a post-race interview, Jackson expressed satisfaction with her performance. “I think it was a pretty good race for the first 200m of the season,” she said. She was unconcerned about the relatively slow time, focusing instead on her technique and execution. “Time is what it is. I tried to focus on my technique and execution. I think I did good,” she added, while noting that it is too early to discuss her event choices for the Paris Olympics.
Clayton dominates in 400m hurdles
Following her world-leading 53.72 seconds performance at the Jamaica Athletics Invitation meet, Rushell Clayton continued her winning streak in the women’s 400m hurdles. Clayton overcame a slow start to dominate her rivals, finishing in 53.98 seconds. Her national teammate Shian Salmon secured second place with a season’s best of 54.27 seconds, while Anna Ryzhykova of Ukraine took third in 55.09 seconds. Janieve Russell finished fifth with a time of 55.74 seconds.
“I am very happy as it was a pretty good race, but there are still more things to fix in the hurdling,” Clayton said post-race. “This is my second race of the season and the second time I have gone under 54 seconds, and I am satisfied,” she added, revealing that her next race will be in Oslo.
Mixed results for Jamaican throwers and sprinters
In the field events, Jamaican throwers Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Traves Smikle both finished fourth in their respective events. Thomas-Dodd recorded a throw of 18.54 meters in the women’s shot put, while Smikle managed 66.04 meters in the men’s discus. Fedrick Dacres finished sixth in the discus with a distance of 65.05 meters.
In the men’s 100m, Rohan Watson and Yohan Blake faced stiff competition. Watson finished fifth with a time of 10.26 seconds, while Blake struggled, finishing eighth in 10.41 seconds. Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon won the event in 10.11 seconds, followed by Canada’s Andre De Grasse in 10.18 seconds, and Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu in third with 10.25 seconds.
