Jackson, Tapper lead Jamaicans in Doha
Seven Jamaicans, including Olympic Games individual medallists Shericka Jackson and Meggan Tapper will kick-start their Wanda Diamond League quest today as the 14-meet series gets underway in Doha, Qatar.
Seven individual gold medallists from last year’s Olympics, along with several other World Champions and Olympic relay winners are scheduled to compete in the five-month series that will end with the final set for Zurich on September 7-8.
Jackson, triple jumpers Shanieka Ricketts and Kimberly Williams, shot putter Danniel Thomas-Dodd, sprint hurdlers Britany Anderson and Tapper as well as intermediate hurdler Jaheel Hyde will all be taking part.
Jackson, the bronze medallist in the womens’ 100m at last year’s Olympics and a member of the gold medal winning 4x100m relay team, has got her season off to a good start and will be running the 200m for the first time this season.
She ran 11.00 seconds in the 100m at last weekend’s Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/Sports Development Foundation (SDF) Jubilee series at the National Stadium and will line up against world third-ranked American Gabrielle Thomas and Great Britain’s World Champion Dina Asher-Smith.
Tapper, the Olympic Games hurdles bronze medal winner in Tokyo last year, has a season’s best 12.80 seconds set in late April and will be joined by the ever-improving Anderson who has a season’s best 12.68 seconds, 12th best so far.
World record holder American Kendra Harrison is the third-ranked hurdler in the world so far, with a season’s best 12.56 seconds, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan and American Gabriele Cunningham are also expected to line up.
Ricketts is the second-ranked triple jumper so far with 14.27m set last weekend in Kingston and she will face off with world leader Thea Lafond of Dominica.
Williams, the World Indoor bronze medallist will be making her outdoor debut along with Portugal’s Patricia Mamona.
Thomas-Dodd, who will be eyeing the podium at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July, will be in a tough field that will include Americans Maggie Ewan, Chase Ealey, and Raven Saunders.
Hyde will hope to pick up from his largely successful 2021 season that was marred by his failing to finish the semi-finals of the Olympics, but also ran his personal best 48.18 seconds at the Jamaican trials.
Today he will face Brazil’s second-ranked Alison dos Santos, American Rai Benjamin, the second-fastest man ever and Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands.
— Paul Reid