Jackson satisfied with victorious 200m season debut
Two-time World Championships women’s 200m gold medallist Shericka Jackson won her first 200m race of the season and world leader Rushell Clayton won back-to-back women’s 400m hurdles races at Sunday’s Wanda Diamond League meeting at Le Grand Stade, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Jackson clocked 22.82 seconds (-1.0m/s), her 10th straight win in the half-lap event dating back to last season when she failed to cross the line first in all but one 200m race.
“I think it was a pretty good race for the first race of my season,” Jackson said after her first-place finish. “[The] time [I ran] is what it is. I tried to focus on my technique and execution. I think I did good.”
After delaying the start of her season twice, Jackson, who had won a 100m at the National Stadium in Jamaica, held off Maboundou Kone (22.96) of the Ivory Coast and France’s Helene Parisot, who ran a personal best 23.02.
Jackson, who said she was not sure which meet she will compete at next, added that “it is too early to talk about the events” she aims to contest at the Paris Olympics Games this summer.
Clayton, who got off to a flying start, won in 53.98, her fourth Diamond League victory. She finished ahead of compatriot Shiann Salmon who made a late charge to clock a season’s best 54.27. Another Jamaican Janieve Russell was fifth with 55.74, her season’s best.
“I am very happy, as it was a pretty good race, but there are still some things to fix in the hurdling,” Clayton said post race. “This is my second race of the season and the second time I ran under 54 seconds, so far I am very satisfied.”
Clayton, who confirmed she would next be running in Oslo, Norway, said it was premature to start talking about the Olympics.
“Of course, I think about the Olympics in Paris but I don’t want to be focused on that, as it is too early. At this time let’s think about the next race.”
Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Traves Smikle were fourth in the women’s shot put and men’s discus throw, respectively, while Rohan Watson was fifth in the men’s 100m.
Thomas-Dodd threw 18.54m in the fifth round to finish behind world champion Chase Jackson of the United States who set a meet record 20.00m. Germany’s Yemsi Ogunleye had a season’s best 19.40m and Canada’s Sarah Mitton threw 19.36m.
Smikle, who was taking part in his first Diamond League meet, threw 66.04m, while his training partner Fedrick Dacres was sixth with 65.05m.
National champion Watson was fifth in the men’s 100m, running 10.26 (-0.8m/s), with Yohan Blake eighth in a season’s best 10.41.