A Diamond League and meeting record 21.48 seconds (0.2m/s) by two-time World Athletics champion Shericka Jackson highlighted an outstanding night for Jamaicans at the Memorial Van Damme Diamond League meet at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday.

After targeting the world record 21.34 seconds set in 1988 by the late American Florence Griffiths-Joyner, Jackson came up just short after a dominating performance to beat a strong field, ending with the fourth fastest time ever.

There were four Jamaican winners as Shanieka Ricketts set a personal best 15.01m (0.3m/s) to win the triple jump, Elaine Thompson-Herah lowered her season’s best in the 100m, and Rusheen McDonald took the men’s 400m.

Running out of lane seven, the 29-year-old Jackson easily overhauled Great Britain’s Daryll Neita before they got off the curve and ran away for an impressive victory, beating the previous meeting record 21.64 seconds set in 1991 by Merlene Ottey and the Diamond League record 21.74 seconds set by Shaunae Miller-Uibo in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2019.

Despite missing her primary target, Jackson said she was satisfied with her performance.

“I am very happy with my race. For me, it is just to show up, especially in front of such an amazing crowd. You just have to put in your best and that’s what I did today.”

She said her run confirmed she was getting closer to the world record.

“It felt really good tonight, I definitely feel like I’m getting there, closer to that record. But it’s also important to have some fun and I really had fun tonight. It’s amazing to run against such a strong field, and everyone did good tonight, but for me, it’s important to have fun,” Jackson said.

Her training partner Anthonique Strachan of The Bahamas was second in 22.31 seconds with American Jenna Prandini third in 22.47 seconds.

Ricketts, who just missed a third-straight medal at the World Championships last month in Budapest, was delighted with her new best mark.

“It was amazing. I had no idea I was capable to jump this far this night as I competed in Italy only two days ago. To go over 15 metres… for the first time legally. I am over the moon. The previous times I jumped this far it was always with too much wind,” she said.

The Commonwealth Games champion, whose previous best was 14.98m set in Doha in 2021, said, “After jumping my PB [personal best] I got a bit emotional [and] that is why I took a break after the third attempt. I enjoyed the meet. The crowed was lovely.”

The big jump came in the third round after she had taken over the lead with 14.70m (-0.2m/s) and held on to beat World Championships silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine who was second with 14.57m (-0.1m/s) and Thea Lafond of Dominica was third with 14.49m (0.4m/s).

Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams was fifth with 13.96m (0.4m/s).

After battling injuries for most of the season, two-time Olympic Games sprint double champion Thompson-Herah ran a splendid 10.84 seconds (0.0m/s) to win the women’s 100m, her third successive season’s best and back-to-back sub-11:00 seconds clocking.

“It was a tough season, but I’m glad that I’m back in my sprinting form,” she said after the race. “A couple of nights ago I ran 10.92 in Bellinzona (Italy) and I’m happy to improve that result tonight,” adding, “I feel healthy and in tonight’s race I was able to keep swinging and punching until the finish line.”

Natasha Morrison, who saw a two-race win streak end, ran well for second in a season’s best 10.95 seconds. Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who led for the first half of the race, was third in 10.97 seconds.

Shashalee Forbes, who was part of the World Championships relay silver medal squad, along with Thompson-Herah and Morrison, finished fifth in 11.17 seconds.

McDonald was well off the pace after 300 metres, but produced a late charge to get to the line first, claiming he was “a little tired” after running two days earlier.

“It was a good field today and I’m happy to take the win, but I could have run a faster time. The main thing is that I can run in Eugene, the Diamond League final, next week. I hope to be at my best there and hopefully I can take the diamond.”

Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic, who ran a season’s best 44.93 seconds, was second and Norway’s World Championship finalist Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen was third with 45.07 seconds.

Janieve Russell ran a well-measured race to finish second in the women’s 400m hurdles, running 53.80 seconds behind World Champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands who won in a meeting record 52.11 seconds under the previous mark of 53.43 seconds set in 1998 by Morocco’s Nezha Bidouane.

World Championships bronze medallist Rushell Clayton was third in 54.10 and Andrenette Knight, who was well placed with three hurdles to go, faded to sixth place in 54.75 seconds.