Jackson’s two-year 200m winning streak ends

Shericka Jackson's two-year winning streak in the women's 200 metres came to an end at the Bislett Games Diamond League meet in Oslo, Norway yesterday.

The two-time world champion finished a distant fifth in 22.97 seconds in the race which was won by 2019 world silver medallist, American Brittany Brown (22.32), with Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Cote d'Ivoire a close second (22.36). The defeat was Jackson's first in a 200m final on the circuit since May 2022.

On a day of mixed fortunes for Jamaica's athletes, Rushell Clayton continued her impressive 2024 form in the women's 400m hurdles to lead a Jamaican 1-2-3 in the event.

Clayton made it back-to-back wins in the event after clocking 54.02 seconds. Andrenette Knight and Janieve Russell posted season's best times of 54.63 and 55.07, respectively, for second and third.

Athletes competed in heavy rain and Clayton was happy for the win.

"I never expected conditions like that but, nonetheless, it was a good race. My execution felt well and I cannot ask for more than to win. Each race is a challenge and I am working towards bigger goals," Clayton said after the race.

After a ninth-place finish in the 800m in Eugene, Natoya Goule-Toppin showed a big improvement yesterday to place second in a season's best 1:59.10. The race was won by South Africa's Prudence Sekgodiso, in 1:58.66.

It was tough going for the other Jamaicans at the meet. Rohan Watson (10.23) and Yohan Blake (10.29) were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the men's 100m which was won in 9.94 by South Africa's Akani Simbine.

National 400m record holder Rusheen McDonald trailed in ninth in the one-lap event in a slow 47.60. Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith posted a personal best and European record 44.07 for the win, ahead of Grenada's Kirani James, 44.58.

In the men's discus, Fedrick Dacres had to settle for sixth with a distance of 65.06m, as Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania won with a meet record 70.91m.