Jackson back on winning trail

AFTER SUFFERING a rare defeat in the 200 metres on Thursday at the Oslo Diamond League, Shericka Jackson was happy to return to winning ways yesterday in Stockholm, Sweden .

Competing at the Stockholm Diamond League, she raced to a season's best 22.69 seconds to win the half-lap event while running against a negative wind of 2.0 metres per second.

Looking her usual self where she was quickly out of the blocks, Jackson controlled the race to win comfortably ahead of Julia Henrikkson of Sweden who was second in 22.89 and Amy Hunt of Great Britain who was third in 22.92.

Jackson hinted that she is slowly getting things together.

"Sometimes you need to have a mishap to sort out where you are," said Jackson who stated that her fifth-place finish in Oslo was a bit hurtful.

"It was also a lesson for me and I ran a season's best (today) and that was good. I feel in good shape this (the win) is good for me now," she added.

"My next meet is the national championships which is a few weeks away and after being in Europe for so long, I am looking forward to going back home to prepare," said Jackson.

Rushell Clayton tasted defeat in the women's 400m hurdles for the first time this season. She finished second in a fairly good 53.78. World champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, in her first 400m hurdles this season, won in 53.07. Jamaicans Andrennete Knight (54.62) and Janieve Russell (54.99) were third and fourth, respectively, in season's best time.

Clayton said the 'mental part' was absent going into the race.

"The mental part is 80 per cent, the physical is just that other 20 per cent. Today I never felt mentally strong at all, but it is a job and I love what I do, therefore I will always give it my best shot," she said while adding that the goal now is to get on the Olympic team.

Triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts finished second in the women's triple jump with a distance of 14.40 metres as Cuba's Leyonis Hernandez Perez picked up her second win of the season with 14.67m. Thea LaFond of Dominica ended third with 14.26m.

In a very close men's 100m, Jamaica's Ryiem Forde led for 60m but was relegated to fourth (10.19) in the final rush to the line. Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon won in 10.16, ahead of American Kyree King (10.18) and Chituru Ali of Italy, 10.19.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd ended fifth in the women's shot put with 18.77m, Fedrick Dacres was sixth in the men's discus with 64.21m and Natasha Morrison placed seventh in the women's 100m in 11.41.