KINGSTON, Jamaica — Shericka Jackson stunned Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, while Yohan Blake topped Oblique Seville to win the women’s and men’s 100 meters titles at Jamaica Trials on Friday night (24).
Blake, who is enjoying his best form since 2012 when he ran his personal best of 9.69 seconds, matched the eighth-fastest time of his career when clocking 9.85 seconds to take the men’s title as the top three finishers broke 10-seconds.
Blake got off to a strong start and held his form over the closing meters of the race to edge out young sprint sensation Seville, who also ran a fantastic race to finish second in 9.88 secs.
It was the second time Seville was running below 9.90 seconds in his youthful career so far and his coach Glen Mills was inside the stadium to watch his charge in action. Mills was very pleased with the performance.
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Also dropping below 10-seconds in the final was Yohan’s training partner at Titans Track Club, Ackeem Blake, who ran 9.93 seconds for a new personal best in third place.
“I just came out here and listen to my coaches and it finally came together,” Blake said about his performance in the final, noting that he had been working on his start in recent weeks.
“Never give up on yourself,” he added, “trust God, trust yourself and trust your coach.
“Male sprinting has been down for years, but now it’s up again.”
Jelani Walker ran a personal best of 10.00 seconds for fourth place and Kemar Bailey-Cole clocked 10.10 for fifth place.
Shericka Jackson Stunned Elaine Thompson-Herah
Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medalist Shericka Jackson recorded 10.77 seconds to shock the Olympic sprint double-double champion Thompson-Herah, who faded to third place in 10.89 seconds.
NCAA runner up Kemba Nelson, a former training partner of Jackson, ran a massive personal best time of 10.88 seconds for second place, while Briana Williams also posted a new lifetime best of 10.94 for fourth.
The top three finishers will join defending world champion Shell-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who pulled out of the event in the semi-final round earlier today. Fraser-Pryce, the winner of the gold medal in Doha in 2019, has a wild card to this summer’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
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