BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, September 07–08 — Eight minutes after Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s demolition of the men’s 2000m standard, Shericka Jackson stepped to the blocks in the women’s 200 having floated World Record thoughts of her own through the sellout Memorial Van Damme crowd.
Jackson had rushed to the No. 2 all-time clocking in Budapest to repeat as half-lap world champ and told the press here, “I hope to get it.” Starting from lane 6, the 29-year-old Jamaican tore out of the blocks and made up the stagger on Britain’s Darryl Neita (7) almost immediately. She had a lead of 2m when she hit the straight and it grew dramatically.
The stunning size of her eventual margin over runner-up Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas — 8m at the finish — gave rise to hopes that Flojo’s 21.34 had finally fallen, but the rest of the field did not respond as well to the wide turn on the fast track.
Jackson had to settle for a 21.48 DL Record with an 0.2 wind, the fourth-fastest time in history. Strachan finished in 22.31, American Jenna Prandini in 22.47.
When she saw the time on the screen, Jackson stuck out her tongue. “You just have to put in your best and that´s what I did today,” she said. “It felt really good tonight, I definitely feel like I´m getting there, closer to that record. But it´s also important to have some fun and I really had fun tonight.”
The women’s javelin produced big excitement as world champ Haruka Kitaguchi came from behind Austria’s Victoria Hudson on the final throw to win with a world-leading 221-1 (67.38), a Japanese Record.
“I still have some goals to chase this season,” she said. “I hope to throw over 68. Maybe at the DL Final.”
A fast 1500 saw Laura Muir take over with 500 left and drive hard through a 60.03 final lap, defeating Ireland’s Ciara Mageean for only the second time in four encounters this season. She ran 3:55.34 to Mageean’s Irish Record 3:55.87.
Well behind in 8th, Huntington frosh Addy Wiley (3:59.17) edged Sinclaire Johnson (3:59.19) at the line in running the fastest-ever collegiate mark in the post-season, topping Jenny (Barringer) Simpson’s 3:59.90.
Perhaps more significant, the 19-year-old Hoosier is now the youngest American to break the 4:00 barrier, and she joined Mary Slaney as the only American to break both 1:58 and 4:00.
Said Muir of beating Mageean, “She always gets me in the last 100m. Today I kept an eye on her and I was able to give that extra bit of gear in the final part of the race.”
In the 100, run in zero wind, Elaine Thompson-Herah showed she’s not done yet, with an impressive season best of 10.84 to beat fellow Jamaican Natasha Morrison (10.95) and Dina Asher-Smith (10.97).
“I feel healthy and in tonight´s race I was able to keep swinging and punching until the finish line,” said ETH. “With the shape that I´m in I hope to get a good result next week as well.”
Femke Bol won the 400H in 52.11, a time that might seem ho-hum to fans these days. It’s stunning to realize that prior to the Tokyo Olympics, it would have been a World Record. Now it is the No. 11 performance all-time.
“My time is pretty good for the end of a season, knowing that my first few hurdles did not go that great,” said Bol.
Jamaican Shanieka Ricketts produced the best jumping of her life, winning the triple jump with a round 3 best of 49-3 (15.01). Despite passing the next two and fouling the last, that was enough to keep the world silver medalist ahead of Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk at 47-9¾ (14.57).
“I am over the moon,” said Ricketts, who won an NCAA title for San Diego State back in ’13. “After jumping my PB I got a bit emotional. That is why I took a break after the third attempt.”
On the afternoon before the main meet, the city’s Place de la Monnaie hosted the women’s shot, and world champion Chase Ealey once again stayed atop the field. In 3rd after four rounds, behind Canada’s Sarah Mitton at (19.76) and Maggie Ewen at (19.64), she lofted the ball out to (20.05) for the win.
“I have only thrown outside of the stadium once before and it was super amazing to have all the crowd so close to the shot put,” Ealey said.
BRUSSELS WOMEN’S RESULTS
100(0.0): 1. Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jam) 10.84; 2. Natasha Morrison (Jam) 10.95; 3. Dina Asher-Smith (GB) 10.97; 4. Zoe Hobbs (NZ) 11.14; 5. Shashalee Forbes (Jam) 11.17.
200(0.2): 1. Shericka Jackson (Jam) 21.48 (x, 4 W);
2. Anthonique Strachan (Bah) 22.31; 3. Jenna Prandini (US) 22.47; 4. Daryll Neita (GB) 22.59; 5. Maboundou Koné (CI) 22.79; 6. Tasa Jiya (Neth) 22.96.
400: 1. Cynthia Bolingo Mbongo (Bel) 50.09; 2. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 50.16; 3. Shamier Little (US) 50.58; 4. Victoria Ohuruogu (GB) 50.81; 5. Candice McLeod (Jam) 50.82; 6. Laviai Nielsen (GB) 50.84.
1500: 1. Laura Muir (GB) 3:55.34 (3:10.43); 2. Ciara Mageean (Ire) 3:55.87 NR; 3. Nelly Chepchirchir (Ken) 3:56.93; 4. Jessica Hull (Aus) 3:57.75; 5. Katie Snowden (GB) 3:58.03; 6. Hirut Meshesha (Eth) 3:58.06; 7. Melissa Courtney-Bryant (GB) 3:58.09;
8. Addy Wiley (US) 3:59.17 PR (10, x A);
9. Sinclaire Johnson (US) 3:59.19; 10. Linden Hall (Aus) 4:00.41; 11. Saron Berhe (Eth) 4:00.46 PR; 12. Marta Pérez (Spa) 4:00.53; 13. Esther Guerrero (Spa) 4:02.27; 14. Cory McGee (US) 4:02.32;… rabbits—Noelie Yarigo (Ben) (61.78), Purity Chepkirui (Ken) (2:05.48).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 7, 9, 11–14)
5000: 1. Lilian Rengeruk (Ken) 14:26.46 (5:43.81); 2. Medina Eisa (Eth) 14:28.94 (x, 2 WJ) (8:43.25, 11:38.64); 3. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 14:29.18 NR; 4. Winnie Jemutai (Ken) 14:39.05 PR; 5. Ayal Dagnachew (Eth) 14:39.11 PR; 6. Mekides Alemshet (Eth) 14:45.13 PR; 7. Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (Nor) 14:47.84; 8. Jessica Warner-Judd (GB) 14:51.53 PR; 9. Edina Jebitok (Ken) 14:52.28 PR; 10. Maureen Koster (Neth) 14:52.90; 11. Elise Cranny (US) 14:57.52;… rabbit—Lorena Martin (Spa) (2:51.59).
400H: 1. Femke Bol (Neth) 52.11; 2. Janieve Russell (Jam) 53.80; 3. Rushell Clayton (Jam) 54.10; 4. Anna Cockrell (US) 54.29; 5. Ayomide Folorunso (Ita) 54.42; 6. Andrenette Knight (Jam) 54.75; 7. Hanne Claes (Bel) 54.95; 8. Viktoriya Tkachuk (Ukr) 54.98.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukr) 6-6¾ (2.00) (6-3¼ [2], 6-4¼ [2], 6-5½, 6-6¾, 6-8¼ [xxx]) (1.91 [2], 1.94 [2], 1.97, 2.00, 2.04 [xxx]);
2. Angelina Topić (Ser) 6-5½ (1.97) =NR, =NJR (=9, x WJ) (6-½, 6-2, 6-3¼ [2], 6-4¼, 6-5½ [3], 6-6¾ [xxx]) (1.84, 1.88, 1.91 [2], 1.94, 1.97 [3], 2.00 [xxx]);
3. Eleanor Patterson (Aus) 6-4¼ (1.94); 4. Iryna Gerashchenko (Ukr) 6-3¼ (1.91); 5. Morgan Lake (GB) 6-3¼; 6. Lia Apostolovski (Slo) 6-3¼).
Non-DL LJ: 1. Ivana Vuleta (Ser) 22-1½ (6.74); 2. Noor Vidts (Bel) 20-11¼ (6.38); 3. Tissanna Hickling (Jam) 20-3¾ (6.19).
TJ: 1. Shanieka Ricketts (Jam) 49-3 (15.01) PR (46-11, 48-2¾, 49-3, p, p, f) (14.30, 14.70, 15.01, p, p, f); 2. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (Ukr) 47-9¾ (14.57); 3. Thea LaFond (Dom) 47-6½ (14.49); 4. Dariya Derkach (Ita) 46-6 (14.17); 5. Kim Williams (Jam) 45-9¾ (13.96); 6. Ottavia Cestonaro (Ita) 45-1¾ (13.76).
SP(9/07; city square): 1. Chase Ealey (US) 65-9½ (20.05) (63-0, 62-7¾, f, 64-¼, 65-9½, f) (19.20, 19.09, f, 19.51, 20.05, f); 2. Sarah Mitton (Can) 64-10 (19.76) (64-7¼, 64-10, f, f, 62-10¾, 64-5¼) (19.69, 19.76, f, f, 19.17, 19.64); 3. Maggie Ewen (US) 64-5¼ (19.64); 4. Auriol Dongmo (Por) 63-4¼ (19.31); 5. Adelaide Aquilla (US) 63-0 (19.20); 6. Jessica Schilder (Neth) 62-1¼ (18.93); 7. Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Jam) 61-11½ (18.88); 8. Fanny Roos (Swe) 61-11½ (18.88); 9. Jessica Woodard (US) 61-9 (18.82).
JT: 1. Haruka Kitaguchi (Jpn) 221-1 (67.38) NR (WL) (21, x W) (195-5, 213-11, 206-4, 197-3, 205-8, 221-1) (59.56, 65.20, 62.89, 60.12, 62.69, 67.38);
2. Victoria Hudson (Aut) 212-1 (64.65) (196-10, 206-11, 212-1, f, p, f) (59.99, 63.08, 64.65, f, p, f); 3. Līna Mūze-Sirmā (Lat) 206-8 (63.00) (206-8, p, p, p, p, p) (63.00, p, p, p, p, p); 4. Flor Dennis Ruiz (Col) 205-1 (62.51); 5. Nikola Ogrodníková (CzR) 197-5 (60.18); 6. Tori Peeters (NZ) 196-7 (59.93).
