Ackera Nugent in action at the Jamaican Championships (© Athelstan Bellamy)
Ackera Nugent, Kishane Thompson and Shericka Jackson produced the standout performances at the Jamaican Championships in Kingston.
Nugent, the 2021 world U20 champion and 2023 NCAA champion, won a competitive women’s 100m hurdles final in a Jamaican record of 12.28 (0.5m/s). Her time was briefly a world-leading mark (until Masai Russell clocked 12.25 to win the US title just moments later) and elevates Nugent to equal ninth on the world all-time list.
“I am feeling really good,” said a beaming Nugent. “This is something that I have envisioned; the time is literally saved on my phone. Just being able to come out here, stay focused, execute an excellent race and go faster than I’ve ever been is a great feeling to know where I’m at this point in the season.”
Two-time world champion Danielle Williams made her first Olympic team after finishing second in 12.53. Former national record-holder Janeek Brown was third in 12.61.
Kishane Thompson kicked off the championships in style, cruising to a 9.82 PB in the 100m heats. He then won his semifinal in 9.84, setting up an exciting final showdown against the favourite, Oblique Seville, who ran 9.83 in the other semifinal.
But Seville proved no match for the Stephen Francis-coached Thompson, who powered away from the field to win in a world-leading 9.77 (0.9m/s). The performance is the fastest in the world since 2022 and it moves Thompson to joint ninth on the world all-time list.
Seville claimed second in 9.82, matching his personal best, while Ackeem Blake finished third in 9.92.
“This year is the best I’ve ever been health-wise,” said Thompson, who was racing for the first time since finishing fourth in the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene in September.
“Running the three rounds at this championship has helped me better understand my body and the sport. I was never short on confidence, but I believe I have much more to do as I can run way faster. Deep down, I look forward to some great competition and nice vibes from the top sprinters.”
Shericka Jackson won a sprint double as the two-time world 200m champion showed she is rounding into form just in time for the Olympics.
In the 100m, Jackson had to dig deep to fend off the challenge of 19-year-old training partner Tia Clayton, who had set a PB of 10.86 in the semifinals. Jackson won the final in 10.84 (-0.3m/s) ahead of Clayton (10.90) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.94).
Two days later, Jackson won the 200m in a season’s best of 22.29 (1.6m/s). Jackson was once again made to work, this time by Lanae-Tava Thomas (22.34) and Niesha Burgher (22.39).
World champion Antonio Watson's Olympic dreams were dashed after 150 metres when he suffered an injury in his 400m heat. Deandre Watkin seized the opportunity and broke the 45-second barrier for the first time to win in 44.48, ahead of Sean Bailey (44.65) and Jevaughn Powell (44.79).
Malik James-King produced the race of his life when he became the third Jamaican to run the men’s 400m hurdles inside 48 seconds. He won in 47.42, just 0.08 off the national record held by Roshawn Clarke, who was well beaten into second (48.04).
In the women’s equivalent, two-time world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton solidified her status as the nation’s top one-lap hurdler with an impressive run of 52.51. She moved to eighth on the world all-time list and second on Jamaica’s all-time list behind Melaine Walker’s 52.42. Janieve Russell (53.33) and Shiann Salmon (53.71) took second and third.
In a closely contested men’s 110m hurdles final, Commonwealth champion Rasheed Broadbell (13.18) got the verdict just ahead of Orlando Bennett (13.18). Olympic champion Hansle Parchment was a close third in 13.19. He finished in exactly the same position at the 2021 Jamaican Championships before going on to win Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Twenty-year-old Bryan Levell took the men’s 200m title in 19.97 (1.3m/s), his second PB of the weekend following his 9.98 run in the 100m semifinals. Andrew Hudson was second in 20.02.
NCAA champion and national record-holder Nikisha Pryce coasted to victory in the women’s 400m in 50.01, winning by more than half a second from Stacey-Ann Williams (50.56). Junelle Bromfield, who almost took a break from athletics after losing her brother in the off-season, came through to take third place.
Traves Smikle won his sixth national discus title with 67.08m. He’ll be joined on the Olympic team by Roja Stona (65.29m) and Ralford Mullings (64.92m). 2019 world silver medallist Fedrick Dacres was fourth.
Elsewhere, Carey McLeod won the men’s long jump with 8.38m and Shanieka Ricketts bounded out to 14.50m to win the women’s triple jump.
Noel Francis for World Athletics
Caudery and Asher-Smith among winners at UK Championships
Molly Caudery retained her national pole vault title, while five championship records fell at the UK Championships in Manchester.
Competing in wet conditions, world indoor champion Caudery – who set a British record of 4.92m a week prior – cleared 4.83m to win and then attempted 4.93m.
Dina Asher-Smith produced her fastest run since the 2022 World Championships to win the 200m in a championship record of 22.18 (-0.7m/s), comfortably beating Daryll Neita (22.46) and Amy Hunt (22.78).
Amber Anning won the 400m in a championship record of 50.47 to finish ahead of Laviai Nielsen (50.92), while Alastair Chalmers took the men's 400m hurdles in 48.54, breaking a championship record that had stood to Edwin Moses since 1979.
There were also championship records in both steeplechase finals. Phil Norman won the men's title in 8:18.65, an agonising 0.15 outside the Olympic qualifying standard. Lizzie Bird clocked 9:29.67 in challenging conditions to win the women's final.
There were surprises in the middle-distances as European silver medallist Georgia Bell outkicked Laura Muir to win the 1500m, 4:10.69 to 4:11.59. And world 1500m champion Josh Kerr collided with Elliot Giles in the men's 800m, both eventually trailing home several seconds behind the winner Ben Pattison, who clocked 1:45.49 to Max Burgin's 1:46.01.
Seventeen-year-old Phoebe Gill held off a strong challenge from world indoor silver medallist Jemma Reekie to win the women's 800m in 1:58.66, becoming the youngest winner at the British Championships since 1974. Reekie was second in 1:59.28.
European silver medallist Charlie Dobson set a stadium record of 44.56 to take the men's 400m. European record-holder for that distance Matthew Hudson-Smith stepped down to the 200m and took the title in a PB of 20.34.
NCAA champion Louie Hinchliffe, who is coached by Carl Lewis, ran 10.18 (-0.8m/s) to win his first national 100m title, while Neita clocked 11.24 (-1.5m/s) to regain her 100m crown.
Cindy Sember secured a spot at her third Olympics by winning a fifth national 100m hurdles title in 12.85 (-1.8m/s).
At a rainy French Championships in Angers, the women's 400m hurdles final exceeded all expectations.
European silver medallist Louise Maraval was pushed all the way by Shana Grebo. Maraval held on to win by just 0.07, winning in 53.71 to Grebo's 53.78 as the duo became just the second and third French women to break 54 seconds for the discipline.
The women’s 100m title was claimed by Gemima Joseph in a PB of 11.01 (1.3m/s) ahead of Chloe Galet who ran 11.14 after clocking a PB of 11.11 in the heats.
European champion Gabriel Tual won the men's 800m in 1:43.99, finishing exactly one second ahead of Benjamin Robert.
World finalist Sasha Zhoya overcame a scare in the 110m hurdles to take the title. His blocks slipped in the heats and he almost pulled up, assuming the race would be restarted. When no recall gun sounded, he got back into his running and went on to gain one of the automatic qualifying spots for the final. In the final, he got off to a much better start and won in 13.32 (-1.1m/s).
Pauline Lett topped the 100m hurdles with a 12.94 PB and Alice Finot set a championship record of 9:29.78 to win her fourth national 3000m steeplechase title.
At the Canadian trials in Montreal, world champion Marco Arop cruised to a championship record of 1:43.53 in his 800m heat, then returned to the track 24 hours later to win the final in 1:43.71.
Jazz Shukla took the women's two-lap title in 1:58.20, elevating her to second on the Canadian all-time list.
Olympic 200m champion and 100m bronze medallist Andre De Grasse won a close race in the shorter discipline, clocking 10.20 (-0.3m/s) ahead of Eliezer Adjibi (10.23) and Aaron Brown (10.25), who like De Grasse ran 10.10 in the heats.
The women’s title was claimed by national record-holder Audrey Leduc in 11.20 (0.1m/s), following a 11.09 run in the heats.
Alysha Newman cleared 4.75m to win the pole vault before attempting 4.85m, which would have improved her own national record, while world indoor champion Sarah Mitton won the shot put with 19.62m.
World silver medallist Leonardo Fabbri continued his superb shot-putting form at the Italian Championships in La Spezia.
The European champion won by almost two metres with 22.11m, his eighth successive victory beyond 22 metres this outdoor season.
In a race missing Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, Matteo Melluzzo won the men's 100m in 10.12 (1.0m/s), while European champion Lorenzo Simonelli clocked 13.18 (-1.3m/s) to capture the 110m hurdles crown.
National record-holder and world indoor 60m bronze medallist Zaynab Dosso won the women’s 100m in 11.20 (0.8m/s) and Giada Carmassi the 100m hurdles in a PB of 12.87 (0.4m/s).
The 5000m titles were won by European champion Nadia Battocletti in 15:24.69 and Pietro Arese in 13:35.97.
Roberta Bruni cleared 4.55m to win the pole vault.
Ingebrigtsen completes national 1500m and 5000m double
Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen achieved a national 1500m and 5000m double on his home track in Sandnes, winning the shorter event at the Norwegian Championships on Friday (28) and following that with 5000m victory on Saturday (29).
In the 1500m he ran 3:34.03 in cool and blustery conditions and one day later he clocked a 5000m championship record of 13:14.36, leading the top five under 13:25. World bronze medallist Narve Gilje Nordas was a close second in 13:14.99.
Henriette Jaeger also set a championship record and achieved a national title double, winning the 200m in 22.86 (1.6m/s) after taking the 400m crown in 51.69. Decathlete Sander Skotheim jumped 7.94m to win the long jump.
Five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek won the hammer ahead of Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki at the Polish Championships in Bydgoszcz on Friday (28), surpassing 80 metres for the first time this season with 80.02m to Nowicki’s 75.89m.
Natalia Kaczmarek, who improved the Polish record to 48.98 at the European Championships, clocked 50.77 to retain the national 400m title. Jakub Szymanski won the 110m hurdles in 13.25 (1.1m/s) to equal the national record, while Pia Skrzyszowska topped the 100m hurdles in 12.67 (0.5m/s).
At the Swiss Championships in Winterthur, 2022 world indoor 60m champion Mujinga Kambundji achieved a sprint double, winning the 100m in 11.01 (0.2m/s) and the 200m in 22.42.
William Reais did the same in the men’s events, winning the 100m in 10.26 and 200m in 20.27. Annik Kalin was another double winner, earning titles in the long jump (6.82m) and 100m hurdles (12.97).
Four athletes dipped below the Olympic qualification standard in the women's 800m on Saturday (29), led by Rachel Pellaud in a PB of 1:58.60. She was followed by world U20 silver medallist Audrey Werro (1:58.67), Valentina Rosamilla (1:58.69) and Lore Hoffmann (1:59.26).
Jason Joseph won the 110m hurdles in 13.26, finishing 0.12 ahead of Simon Ehammer, who had earlier won the long jump (8.03m). Elsewhere, Lionel Spitz was just 0.02 off the Swiss record in winning the men’s 400m in 45.01, while Angelica Moser cleared 4.65m to claim the pole vault title.
Owen Ansah became the first German sprinter to dip below 10 seconds for 100m, running 9.99 (0.5m/s) at the German Championships in Braunschweig on Saturday (29).
Taking 0.02 off Julian Reus' eight-year-old national record, Ansah also achieved the qualification mark for the Paris Olympics. Behind him, Joshua Hartmann was second in a PB of 10.06.
The women’s title was won by Gina Luckenkemper in 11.04 ahead of Alexandra Burghardt in 11.26.
Olympic and world fourth-place finisher Julian Weber won his fourth consecutive national javelin title, throwing 86.63m to capture the crown again ahead of 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler with 76.84m.
Kristin Pudenz secured her sixth national discus title in a row, throwing 65.93m.
Over at the Greek Championships in Volos, Emmanouil Karalis improved his own national pole vault record by a centimetre to 5.93m before attempting 6.00m.
Among the performances at the Chinese Championships in Rizhao was a Chinese U20 record of 10.06 (1.1m/s) by 17-year-old He Jinxian to win the 100m. Yan Ziyi won the javelin ahead of Lyu Huihui, 63.51m to 61.50m.
