Jamaicans hunt glory at Diamond League finale

OLYMPIC GAMES silver medallists Shanieka Ricketts and Wayne Pinnock are two of 10 Jamaicans going for glory on today's opening day of the two-day Allianz Memorial Van Damme Wanda Diamond League finals in Brussels.

With a Diamond Trophy and cash prize of US$30,000 for the winners in 32 events over the two days, both Pinnock and Ricketts will be hoping to end their season on a high.

Pinnock will be the first Jamaican in action today as he will contest the men's long jump finals at 1:17 p.m Jamaica time. He will be joined by compatriots Carey McLeod and Tajay Gayle.

Coming off his first Diamond League success a week ago in Zurich where he also got his first career win over Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentaglou of Greece, Pinnock will be hoping to better his season's best of 8.36m in his bid to top Tentaglou, who has a season's best 8.65m. Simon Ehammer of Switzerland with a best of 8.41m and Mattia Furlani of Italy whose 2024 best is 8.38m should make this event a close affair.

Ricketts found her best form at the Olympic Games to finish second in the women's triple jump with a season's best 14.87m. She maintained that good form in Silesia, Poland, for her first Diamond League success of the season. The 32-year-old will be hoping to capture her second career Diamond Trophy in the event after claiming top honours in Zurich in 2019.

Olympic champion Thea LaFond of Dominica will be missing, but Ricketts and fellow Jamaican Ackelia Smith, an Olympic finalist, will face strong competition from Cuba's Leyanis Hernandez-Perez who has three Diamond League wins this season and a season's best 14.96m.

Both Ackeem Blake, with a season's and personal best of 9.89 seconds and Rohan Watson, 10.07, will line up in the men's 100m final. Blake is coming off a recent morale boosting win at a World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Bellinzona, Switzerland, where he clocked 9.96. He will battle Americans Fred Kerley, the Olympic Games bronze medallist with a season's best of 9.81, and Christian Coleman, whose season's best is 9.86.

Other Jamaicans competing in Diamond League events today are Danniel Thomas-Dodd in the women's shot put, Fedrick Dacres in the men's discus and Natoya Goule-Toppin in the women's 800m.

One of the highlights of the day will be the women's 100m where Olympic champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia will clash with American World champion Sha'Carri Richardson. Alfred triumphed in Paris, but Richardson came out on top recently in Zurich.

Three other Jamaicans will be in action in two non-Diamond League invitational 400m events today. Stacey-Ann Williams, fresh off her season's and personal best of 50.00 seconds win earlier this week at a World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Zagreb, Croatia, and Stephenie Ann McPherson, will take on Americans Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the women's one-lap event.

In the men's 400m, national record-holder Rusheen McDonald will face Belgian brothers Kevin and Dylan Borlee.