Shericka Jackson completes Jamaican nationals double with 200m world lead

Shericka Jackson upstaged Olympic champions Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to complete a sprint double at the 2022 Jamaica National Championships on Sunday (26 June).

Having beaten Thompson-Herah in Friday's 100m final, Jackson - who relaxed too early in the 200m heats in Tokyo when fancied for a medal - was a class apart in the longer sprint on a drying track after heavy rain in the National Stadium in Kingston.

The 27-year-old led from the start and ran a fine bend before pulling further clear in the closing stages to win in 21.55, the fastest time in the world this year and a new personal best.

It puts her third on the all-time list behind Thompson-Herah and world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner.

Jackson's previous PB was 21.81 set last September in Zurich.

Thompson-Herah was a distant second in 22.06 with Fraser-Pryce booking her place in next month's World Championships in 22.14.

Yohan Blake failed to match Jackson's sprint double as he had to settle for second in the 200m behind Andrew Hudson.

The 25-year-old, who ran in last year's United States Olympic Trials but has a Jamaican father, won in 20.10 ahead of four-time Olympic medallist Blake (20.31) with Nigel Ellis (20.41) just edging out Tokyo Olympic finalist Rasheed Dwyer for third.

Hansle Parchment will bid to add the world title to his Olympic gold after winning the men's 110m hurdles in 13.14.

Rasheed Broadbell was second in 13.20 with Orlando Bennett (13.28) taking the all-important third sport.

There was disappointment for 2017 world champion Omar McLeod who made a fine start but appeared to lose his balance after the third flight. He then flattened the seventh hurdle before finishing down in eighth place.

Candice McLeod took the women's 400m ahead of fellow Tokyo 2020 finalist Stephenie Ann McPherson.

The 25-year-old ran 50.29, two-tenths ahead of McPherson, with this month's NCAA Championship runner-up Charokee Young third in 50.76.

Young overcame a sluggish start to make the team having run over half a second faster in Saturday's semi-finals.

Jevaughn Powell took the men's version in 45.50 ahead of Nathon Allen (45.64) and Anthony Cox (45.65).

Powell is the only one of the three to achieve the Eugene entry standard and could be the only Jamaican man taking part in the individual one-lap event.

Britany Anderson produced a late charge to take the 100m hurdles title.

Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper led for much of the way after a fine start but the 21-year-old - who won her semi-final in a personal best in Tokyo before hitting a hurdle hard in the final - came away from the last barrier quickest to cross the line first in 12.53.

Tapper was second in 12.60 with Danielle Williams clocking 12.66 in third.

There was a surprise in the women's 800m as Olympic finalist Natoya Goule was beaten by Chrisann Gordon-Powell.

Adopting her usual frontrunning tactics, Goule was overhauled metres from the line with Rio 2016 4x400m relay silver medallist Gordon-Powell recording a winning time of 2:00.35 on a very wet track.

Navasky Anderson booked his spot in the Jamaica team with victory in the men's event, stopping the clock in 1:48.53.

The Mississippi State University athlete ran a new national record at the NCAA Championships earlier this month in Eugene, and he will return to Hayward Field next month for his first major global event.