Jackson 'grateful' after copping Diamond League double
Shericka Jackson of Jamaica celebrates with the Diamond League final trophy after winning the women's 100m race at Hayward Field in Oregon, United States, on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Photo: AFP)

TWO-TIME World Championships 200m champion Shericka Jackson became the second Jamaican and third woman to win the Diamond League sprint double after setting a meet record 21.57 seconds (0.3m/s) to win the 200m on Sunday's second day of the Diamond League final during the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

A day after running 10.70 to win the 100m, Jackson was not challenged as she broke the meet record 21.77 set in 2017 by the late Tori Bowie.

Jackson joins Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who copped the double in 2013, and American Carmelita Jeter who was the first to do it in 2011 — a year after the series was inaugurated in place of the Golden League.

It was an outstanding day for Jamaicans as Hansle Parchment ran a personal best and world-leading 12.93 (0.9m/s) to win the 110m hurdles and his first Diamond League trophy, while Natoya Goule lowered her own national record in the women's 800m to 1:55.96 as she finished third in the event.

Hansle Parchment (right) of Jamaica finishes ahead of second-placed Grant Holloway of United States (centre) and fourth-placed Shunsuke Izumiya of Japan during the Diamond League 110m hurdles final race in Oregon, United States, on Sunday.Shawn Price

Former World Championships gold medallist Tajay Gayle was second in the men's long jump, while Rushell Clayton was third in the women's 400m hurdles.

Jackson said her feat was 12 months over due.

"Funny enough, last year one of my goals I wrote [was] that...I wanted to get two trophies. I didn't get two trophies last year and I rewrote that again, that I wanted two trophies this year. I got it and I'm grateful. [It's] the end of the season, I'm healthy, and I ran some fast times so I'm definitely grateful."

Sunday's time was Jackson's fifth-fastest ever, giving her five of the top eight times ever run. Marie-Josee Ta Lou was second with a season's best 22.10 and Anthonique Strachan of The Bahamas was third in 22.16.

Despite not getting the best start Parchment took one hundredth of a second off his previous best — 12.94 set nine years ago in 2014 — as he used a tremendous second half to blow past three-time World Champion and last year's Diamond League winner Grant Holloway of the United States.

Parchment caught the field by the seventh hurdle and was clear at the finish line as Holloway ran 13.06 for second. World Champs bronze medallist Daniel Roberts was third in 13.07.

The World Championships silver medallist said afterwards that he was hoping for a good start "to really be a little bit more competitive".

Parchment added: "I think I still put it together, mostly. Got the PR [personal record], got the win, so I'm very happy about that."

Parchment said the season's hectic schedule was catching up.

"We're tired, we've been competing for months now. It's really brilliant to be able to carry this season up until the end."

His time took him just past compatriot Rasheed Broadbell in the World Athletics ranking after the latter had run a personal best 12.94 to win at the Jamaican Championships in mid-year.

World Champion Danielle Williams was fourth in the 100m hurdles in 12.47 (1.8m/s) and Megan Tapper was fifth in 12.48 as World Record-holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria won with a season's best 12.33.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn was second with 12.38 and American Kendra Harrison third in 12.44, matching their placings at the World Championships during which Amusan had finished sixth.

Goule-Toppin, who could only manage 2:00.78 in the semi-finals at the World Championships, became the first Jamaican woman to go under 1:56.00 with a well-measured race in which the top three finishers all broke national records.

She ran under the 1:56.15 she did in Monaco in 2018 as she chased American Athing Mu, the bronze medallist at the World Championships in Budapest last month. Mu ran a national record, world-leading, and meet record 1:54.97. Keely Hodgkinson was second with a Great Britain record of 1:55.19.

Tajay Gayle just missed his first Diamond League Trophy as he was second in the men's long jump with a wind-aided 8.22m (2.6m/s), the same mark as victor Simon Ehammer of Switzerland who had a better second jump as the tiebreaker.

Gayle took the lead briefly in the fourth round and Ehammer matched his jump. After both failed to improve it went back to their second jump wherein the Swiss had 8.12m in the first round to the Jamaican's 8.08m in the third round.

The top three in the women's 400m hurdle was a repeat from Budapest as Clayton finished third in 53.56. Femke Bol of the Netherlands ran a meet record 51.98, under the 52.77 set in 2021 by Dalilah Muhammad. American Shamier Little took second in 53.45, and Janieve Russell was fourth in 53.60 seconds.

World Championships finalist Candice McLeod ran 50.76 for fourth in the women's 400m that was won by a wide margin by World Champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic in 49.58. Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland came second in 50.38 and Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands was third in 50.47.

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com

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