Jackson, Parchment, van Niekerk confirmed for Racers GP
JAMAICA’s World champion Shericka Jackson and Olympic champion Hansle Parchment, and World record holder Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa are the first three headliners confirmed for June’s restart of the Racers Grand Prix to be held at the National Stadium.
Glen Mills, president of Racers Track Club and chairman of the organising committee, confirmed the names on Tuesday.
“As was stated previously, the organisers of the Racers Grand Prix are negotiating with a number of Olympic and World champions and world record holders for the June 3 staging. Among the first to confirm participation are Shericka Jackson, Wayde Van Niekerk and Hansle Parchment,” he said while adding that “several more names” are to be announced.
Jackson set a new championship record 21.45 seconds to win the women’s 200m gold medal at last year’s World Athletics World Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, after she had taken the silver medal in the 100m behind compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
After his stunning win in the 110m hurdles at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, Parchment had a mixed year. After running 13.09 at a Diamond League meeting in the United Kingdom in May and winning his first-round and semi-final races in Eugene, he suffered a freak accident at the start line in the final.
Weeks later he withdrew from the finals of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham “out of an abundance of caution”, it was said then.
The Racers Grand Prix, which was first held in 2016, was cancelled in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
But earlier this month the announcement came that the event would be making a comeback after a three-year absence.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Mills had said organisers are already in discussions with some of the biggest names in international athletics, and underlined the importance of the meet to athletes in Jamaica and across the region.
“The members of the Racers organising committee and the Racers club are excited to once again have the opportunity to stage top-class athletic competition in Jamaica once more.
“The Racers Grand Prix has been a crucial meet for many of our own athletes and athletes from the NACAC region, some of whom have not had the opportunity to compete in Europe. The Jamaica fans also look forward to witnessing live, world-class competition,” Mills had said.