BUDAPEST, Hungary — Janieve Russell is relishing being a part of Jamaica’s track and field history as she will be one of three Jamaicans who will line up in tomorrow’s World Athletics Championships women’s 400m hurdles final at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary.

Russell, the many-time Jamaican national champion, will be joined by 2019 bronze medallist Rushell Clayton and first-time finalist Andrenette Knight, after they all advanced from Tuesday’s semi-finals in what was a landmark for Jamaica’s track and field history.

“I love being a part of history. In the 2021 Olympics I was a part of the history where Sydney McLaughlin clocked 51.46 seconds to win; I am now here again more history [has been been created] — three Jamaicans in the Commonwealth Games last year and now three Jamaicans in the final so it’s just really good.”

Russell added: “I’m really glad that we’re coming back; it’s not only for the sprints, we’re here in the hurdles as well of course…we’re going back since Melaine Walker, Deon Hemmings, Kaliese Spenser so it’s just growth. This season it’s just growth for 400m hurdles.”

A year ago Russell, Clayton and Shiann Salmon also qualified for the women’s 400m hurdles final at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where Jamaica won two medals and barely missed the medal sweep.

Getting two medals here would take a lot more, with Holland’s Femke Bol — the red-hot favuorite — and Americans Shamier Little, who led the qualifying with 52.81 seconds, and Anna Cockrell who ran a lifetime best 53.63 seconds, also in contention.

Clayton ran a lifetime-best 53.30 seconds to win her semi-final heat, breaking the 53.33 seconds she ran last year in Monaco. Knight was second in 53.72 seconds in her heat while Russell qualified with 53.69 seconds.

Meanwhile, all three Jamaicans advanced to the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles. Jamaican Ackera Nugent won her heat in 12.60 seconds (0.1m/s), same time as American Masai Russell; Jamaican Danielle Williams was third in a season’s best 12.51 seconds (0.1m/s) while another Jamaican, Megan Tapper, also ran 12.51 seconds (0.4m/s) for second in her semis.

Russell said while she was delighted to be in her second World Championships final, “it wasn’t a race that I planned out in my mind”.

“I was shuffling a lot, I was stuttering a lot, and I couldn’t get back into the race, But I’m really surprised that I ran 53.69 seconds with all that shuffling and jumping so that’s something that I have to concentrate on and don’t let the race get away from me,” she reasoned.

Clayton, who was qualifying for her third World Championships final, was happy with her new personal best mark.

“First of all, it’s always good to get a personal best because each time you run, you aim to give your best,” she said.

“The main aim was to execute a good race, and each time I step on the line it gets better and better. So, I still have a little bit of cleaning up to do to get the stride pattern but I think it was a pretty good race,” she told reporters.

Knight said she was “feeling amazing” after her effort.

“God is good. I’m just super blessed to be here, first and foremost, and to be in the finals — it’s a major accomplishment this season,” she shared.

In the shorter hurdles Nugent got the better of Russell, who she faced several times during the NCAA season.

“It feels really good to be competing and to get to see where I am at and also to get a feel of the track,” she shared.

Nugent said she was “satisfied with her performance, seeing that I am coming off a long college season and still being able to be consistently running 12.6”.

Williams, the 2015 champion, described her run as “pretty solid”.

“I think I did what I came out here to do.”

Tapper, the Olympic bronze medallist, described her performance as “a good race”.

“I am not unhappy with it. I mean, there are obviously things I can tighten up but I’m really grateful that I finished it. I’m going into the semis.”