Shericka Jackson was in scintillating form in the preliminary round of the women’s 100m at the National Senior and Junior Championships on Thursday night at the National Stadium.
Jackson, who currently holds the fastest time among Jamaican women this season, convincingly pulled away from the field to secure victory in 10.99 seconds, displaying ease as she crossed the finish line.
Her time stood as the fastest among the heats heading into the semifinals. Jonielle Smith and Briana Williams both registered 11.19 seconds, but Smith was ultimately awarded second place.
Elaine Thompson-Herah (left) wins the fourth and final preliminary round heat of the women’s 100m.
Alana Reid and Natasha Morrison continued to exhibit their impressive form this season, but it was double-double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah who stood out.
Reid triumphed in heat two with a time of 11.14 seconds, securing a solid victory over Remona Burchell (11.20) and Lanae-Tava Thomas (11.24).
Meanwhile, Morrison comfortably won heat three with a time of 11.00 seconds, which ranked as the second fastest among the heats. Shashalee Forbes (11.09) and Kevona Davis (11.12) claimed second and third place, respectively, securing the other automatic qualifying spots from the heat.
In the fourth and final heat, Thompson-Herah, the second-fastest woman in history with a Jamaican national record of 10.54 seconds, delivered a significant season-best time of 11.12 seconds to emerge victorious. This performance came 13 days after her season debut in the 100m event, where she clocked a modest 11.24 seconds at the JAAA Budapest Quest meet. The 31-year-old sprinter revealed that she had been contending with several injuries and had been unable to train.
Ashanti Moore (11.15) and Shockoria Wallace (11.19) secured second and third place, respectively, guaranteeing automatic qualifying spots for the semifinals.
The semifinals and finals of the women’s 100m event are scheduled to take place on Friday.
