The Albany Gazette - Jackson on course for Jamaican sprint double

A day after stunning National Stadium with a personal best and world-leading 10.65 seconds to win the 100m in the fifth-fastest time ever recorded, Jackson won her 200 heat (-1.4m/s) to reach Sunday's final.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce had the fastest time in the round when she won her semi-final race with an impressive 22.39 seconds (0.7m/s), after sitting out the 100m as she has a wild card for the World Championships at Budapest in August.

After failing to get past the first round of the 100m on Thursday, Yohan Blake secured his place in the men's 200 final by winning his semi-final heat in 20.35 seconds (0.6m/s).

Defending champion Andrew Hudson is also through after winning his semi-final in 20.31 seconds while Rasheed Dwyer had the fastest time of the round when he ran 20.25 seconds (0.4m/s).

Two time World Championships runner-up Shanieka Ricketts, Wayne Pinnock, Traves Smikle and Danniel Thomas-Dodd all retained their respective titles to secure their places on the Jamaican team for worlds.

Ricketts won her fifth consecutive women's triple jump national title with a wind-aided 14.79m (2.6m/s), beating Ackelia Smith on 14.26m (0.9m/s) with Imani Oliver third with a wind-aided 13.44m (2.1m/s).

Ricketts and Smith had achieved the qualifying mark of 14.52m for the World Championships prior to the national championships and could be joined in Hungary by Kimberly Williams, who is well placed in the World Ranking system.

It was also the second event Smith had qualified in after she was second in the long jump on Thursday.

World Championships finalist Pinnock jumped 8.32m, just shy of his season-best 8.37m, while former World Championships gold medallist Tajay Gayle was second with a season-best 8.27m and Carey McLeod was third in 8.07m.

Smikle retained his men's discus title with a best mark of 66.12m, ahead of Roje Stona's 65.92m. Former Commonwealth Games champion Fedric Daces was third with 65.79m.

Double national record holder Thomas-Dodd threw 19.08m to win the women's shot put with Lloydricia Cameron second on 16.37m.

Commonwealth champion Rasheed Broadbell and Olympic Games bronze medallist Megan Tapper are the leaders going into Sunday’s final of the sprint hurdles.

Broadbell ran a season-best 13.06 seconds (1.2m/s) to win his heat and was followed by Tyler Mason, who ran a personal best 13.12 (2.0m/s) to win his heat while Olympic champion Hansle Parchment won his heat in 13.29 (1.1m/s).

Tapper ran a personal best 12.44 seconds (0.6m/s) to win her semi-final, faster than her previous best of 12.51 set in Brussels last year.

Former World Youth champion Yanique Thompson won her heat in 12.53 seconds (0.8m/s), beating the 12.69 second set ran in 2017, while Amoi Brown also had a personal best 12.61.

Ackera Nugent is also into Sunday's final after running 12.80 seconds as well as former World Champion Danielle Williams in 12.61.

(B.Hartmann--BBZ)