Shericka Jackson, the reigning two-time world champion in the 200m, delivered an impressive performance in Saturday’s qualifying heats at the Jamaican Olympic Trials, securing the fastest time of the day. Fresh off her victory in the 100m event on Friday, which earned her a spot at the Paris Olympics, Jackson clocked a season-best 22.67 seconds despite a -0.9 m/sec headwind at Kingston’s National Stadium.
Jackson emerges as a strong favorite for the 200m final scheduled for Sunday. Notably, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who also qualified for the Paris Games with her 100m win, did not enter the 200m heats. Meanwhile, Elaine Thompson-Herah, the current Olympic champion, is sidelined due to an injury and will not be defending her title in France.
In the men’s 200m, Andrew Hudson, a finalist at the World Championships, is pursuing his third consecutive national title and recorded a time of 20.59 seconds. He will face stiff competition from Bryan Levell, who, after a fourth-place finish in the 100m, qualified for the 200m final with the fastest time of 20.53 seconds.
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The 110m hurdles final will feature a high-stakes showdown between Hansle Parchment, the reigning Olympic champion, and Omar McLeod, the former Olympic gold medalist. Parchment won his semi-final with a time of 13.42 seconds (-0.1 m/sec), while McLeod, competing in his first international event since 2019, finished second in his heat with 13.34 seconds (-0.9 m/s), narrowly behind Rasheed Broadbell, who won with 13.32 seconds.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, the field includes two-time world champion Danielle Williams and Olympic bronze medalist Megan Tapper. Ackera Nugent led the qualifiers with a season-best 12.46 seconds (-1.1 m/sec), followed by Williams with 12.57 seconds (-1.1 m/sec) and Tapper with 12.71 seconds (-0.6 m/sec).
In the men’s long jump, 2019 world champion and 2023 world bronze medalist Tajay Gayle finished in fourth place with a jump of 8.18 meters, thus missing out on a chance to compete in Paris. Shawn-D Thompson secured his Olympic berth with a personal best leap of 8.30 meters (-0.2 m/sec). Carey McLeod took first place with 8.38 meters (0.1 m/sec), while world runner-up Wayne Pinnock, with a jump of 8.27 meters (1.1 m/sec), will also be heading to Paris.
Additionally, Shanieka Ricketts clinched her sixth women’s triple jump title with a distance of 14.50 meters, and Danniel Thomas-Dodd captured her ninth shot put title with a season’s best throw of 19.32 meters. In the 400m, Nickisha Pryce qualified for the final with a time of 49.63 seconds, making her the only Jamaican to break the 50-second mark in the event.
