Thompson-Herah, Forte put on exhibition in Kingston

Noel Francis
By Noel Francis 3 Min Read
Elaine Thompson To Skip Diamond League 100m final in Brussels (September 6)

As the curtain came down on the Velocity Fest Meet series, at the Jamaica College stadium on Saturday (25), Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah signed off with an impressive run.

Thompson-Herah, who has endured Achilles problems since her Rio success, showed no signs of discomfort as she pushed firmly out of the blocks before accelerating away from the field to register a commanding win in 10.73 seconds (+3.0 m/s). This was her second consecutive win over the distance after cruising to 11.19 (-0.6 m/s) the previous weekend.

In the men’s equivalent, Julian Forte, aided by a slight tailwind, chalked up his second victory in a week when he outclassed Yohan Blake. Forte burst the tape in 9.96 seconds (+2.1 m/s) with Blake further back in 10.07.

Antonio Watson, who has the distinction of being the last World Youth champion at 400m, stepped down in distance and produced a lifetime best of 10.39 seconds (+1.7 m/s) in heat four of the men’s 100m. Watson placed third behind 2016 World U20 bronze medallist Nigel Ellis (10.34) and Michael Bentley (10.37).

Shericka Jackson wins 400m

World Championships bronze medallist Shericka Jackson covered her one-lap specialty in 51.81 seconds ahead of teammate Stephenie-Ann McPherson 52.72. Janieve Russell was the quickest over the distance with a season’s best 51.67 seconds exactly a second ahead of Rushell Clayton, who was a distant runner-up. Veteran quarter-miler Rusheen McDonald in his season opener logged 46.10 seconds.

Bahamian sprinter Anthonique Strachan continued to show signs of gradual improvement when she won the women’s 200m in 22.72 seconds (+2.0 m/s). It was the second-fastest time since 2015 for the 2012 World U-20 champion when she ran 22.69 at a Diamond League meeting in Doha.


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2 Comments
  • Great start by Antonique Strachan. I really felt it for her when she pulled up in her semi at the Doha World Champs after easily winning her heat in 22.81 I believe. She has never broken 23s in pre season in Jamaica before.

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