Jackson got her season off to a winning start with a 200m victory in Marrakech in 22.82 to maintain a winning streak of 16 finals that dates back to June 2022.
Having won Diamond Trophies in both the 100m and 200m last year, she’ll look to build on that opener in Oslo, where she will face USA’s Jenna Prandini, Anavia Battle and Brittany Brown, plus Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith and Daryll Neita, who won the 200m in Suzhou and 100m in Doha.
Dominican Republic’s world champion Marileidy Paulino will race against world bronze medallist Sada Williams and world indoor silver medallist Lieke Klaver in the 400m, while the men’s event features Grenada’s multiple Olympic and world medallist Kirani James, world silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith and home favourite Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen.
Jamaica’s world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton leads the entries for the women’s 400m hurdles.
The men’s event will a treat for the fans as the three-time world champion Karsten Warholm contests the 400m hurdles for the first time since finishing second in the Diamond League final in Eugene in September.
He’s got some fierce competition as he faces Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, the world and Diamond League champion in 2022, who opened his own 400m hurdles season with a 46.86 win in Doha. Looking to challenge them both will be world silver medallist Kyron McMaster.
After setting a world record of 74.35m in Ramona in April, Mykolas Alekna won the discus clash in Marrakech, surpassing 70 metres again with a 70.70m throw to beat Australian record-holder Matthew Denny and Sweden’s Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl.
That trio clash again in Oslo as part of a stacked field – one which also includes 2022 world gold medallist Kristjan Ceh, Andrius Gudzius, Fedrick Dacres and Lukas Weisshaidinger.
The race was one for the history books, with the first five finishers all breaking the 44-second barrier in what has become one of the fastest 400m races ever. The gold medal was claimed by the USA’s Quincy Hall, who edged out Hudson-Smith with a lifetime best of 43.40 seconds. Muzala Samukonga of Zimbabwe secured the bronze with a national record of 43.74 seconds, just ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, who also set a national record and personal best of 43.78 seconds. Kirani James of Grenada, the 2012 Olympic champion, finished fifth in 43.87 seconds, underscoring the extraordinary quality of the race.
In the aftermath of his remarkable achievement, Hudson-Smith took to social media to explain the significance of the Jamaican flag in his celebration. The gesture, he revealed, was a heartfelt tribute to his Jamaican heritage and, in particular, to his grandmothers, both of whom are Jamaican.
“I haven’t seen both my grandmothers who are Jamaican in a while, so I held the Jamaican flag as an ‘I love you’ to them. They are my biggest supporters, along with my mum who was born in Jamaica. I just wanted to represent my family,” Hudson-Smith shared.
The 29-year-old sprinter’s homage to his Jamaican roots resonated deeply with his fans and family alike, as he further added, “I hope they picked up on the gesture so when I get back to the UK, I can get some more oxtail.”
Hudson-Smith’s victory and his subsequent tribute to his heritage highlight the profound connection many athletes feel to their cultural backgrounds, even as they compete on the world’s biggest stage. His silver medal win not only cements his place as one of Europe’s finest sprinters but also as a proud ambassador of his rich Jamaican lineage.
Great Britain’s squad for Budapest is due to be announced on Friday afternoon, with 400m runner Hudson-Smith seeking to better the bronze he won in Eugene last year.
The 28-year-old clocked a season’s best 44.72 seconds in finishing fourth in London on Sunday before raising concerns about his fitness by requiring mobility assistance at the end of the race.
He opted against revealing the specific location of an ongoing issue he termed as a “niggle” as he allayed fears about him being absent from the track in Hungary.
“I’m not at 100 per cent but I’ll be ready for the Worlds,” said Hudson-Smith.
“Listen, money is on the line, I’ve trained all year. I hope people understand how much work I have put into this year.
“I didn’t do all this work just to fall at the last hurdle. Whether I am good or bad, I’m gonna put my all in.
“At championships I always do my best and as you see when I get into finals I make medals. We’re loading for Worlds so we’ll be ready for when it matters.”
South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk clinched 400m glory at London Stadium in 44.36 secs.
American duo Bryce Deadmon and Vernon Norwood also crossed ahead of European champion Hudson-Smith.
“I couldn’t walk (after the race in London),” he said. “It was burning at the top bend so I had to push through.
“It aggravates on the bends and my event is two bends so it’s a matter of where it’s going to hurt.
“I’ve had an ongoing niggle since April. It’s been hard to manage. Sometimes it’s up, sometimes it’s down.”
Asked if he endures pain when lying in bed, he replied: “It’s every day, man, literally it’s bad. Christine (Ohuruogu, former 400m sprinter) has had similar issues as well and I’ve talked to her about it.
“I’ve got the best people in the world looking after me. It is just managing it and changing training so I’m fit and now we can put some speed into it and lean into it.”
Having finished seventh in the final at Rio 2016, Muir took silver at the last edition of the games in Tokyo, finishing behind Kenya's Faith Kipyegon with a time of 3:54.50.
The 31-year-old Scot has been tipped to go one better this year after running a British record of 3:53:79 at the Diamond League meeting in the French capital on July 7.
Speaking exclusively to Stat Perform, Muir outlined her hope that the 2024 Games will mark the culmination of her progress over the last few years.
"The record I broke was the record that I ran in the Tokyo Olympics, winning silver," she said, reflecting on her record time.
"So to break my British record that I ran winning silver, and to do it in the city that the next Olympics is going to be held in… it was just a 'this is meant to be' moment.
"It was really special, and to run the fastest I've ever ran just ahead of the Olympics was perfect and such a big confidence boost.
"I'm just going to go into the Games in the best shape I've ever been in."
Muir's silver medal in Tokyo came in front of no public spectators, with crowds in the Japanese capital limited to fellow athletes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is excited about the chance to share her experience with others this time around, saying: "It was such a shame that nobody could watch the biggest events in Tokyo.
"It's just so nice that people can come and spectate now, not just athletics but lots of different sports.
"With it being so close to home it'll be really easy for people to travel out there, it's not a big time difference, so it'll be so much easier for people to watch. I'm just really excited that they can soak up that atmosphere."
Team GB managed five athletics medals in Tokyo (two silver, three bronze), having taken seven in 2016 and six on home soil at London 2016.
With the likes of Matt Hudson-Smith and Keeley Hodgkinson also tipped to be in medal contention, Muir has high hopes regarding Team GB's overall prospects.
"I think it's a fantastic team we've got out in Paris, so I'm just really excited to see how everybody gets on," she added.
"To see Matt get his European record, Keeley get her British record, I got my British record a couple of weeks before that… it's a really, really exciting place to be.
"I think we're so strong across so many different events as well, which is so exciting, and the depth of that within some events, especially in endurance running, it's really exciting to see."
Richards, hunting his first Olympic Games medal, finished second in semi-final one in 44.33s, behind American Quincy Hall, who won in 43.95s.
James, a three-time Olympic medallist in the event, seems poised to add to his tally as he rekindled his form of old with a blistering season’s best 43.78s clocking in winning semi-final two. It was just outside his personal best of 43.74s.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s lone semi-finalist, Jevaughn Powell (44.91s), produced a gallant performance for fourth in semi-final three, but it was not enough to progress.
The other finalists are Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.07s), American Michael Norman (44.26s), and Christopher Bailey (44.31s), as well as Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga (43.81) and Samuel Ogazi (44.71s) of Nigeria.
The final is scheduled for Wednesday August 7.
Holmes, a member of the USA’s gold medal-winning mixed relay team at the World Championships in Budapest last year and the World Relays this year in Nassau, ran 50.31 to lead an American 1-2-3 with Brittany Brown running 51.21 in second and Naasha Robinson running 51.81 in third.
“I had a lot of fun. The energy was great,” Holmes said after the race.
“I was expecting a smooth race and just trying to get the win. I just try to stay relaxed and poised because I know I have a strong finish,” she added.
The men’s race saw World Championship silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith produce 44.69 to take the win ahead of American Matthew Boling (44.98) and Jamaica’s Zandrion Barnes (45.41).
“I’m a lot more healthier this year. I’ve got the best team in the world. My coach Gary Evans is a man with a plan and this year it’s all about being healthy when it matters,” he said after the race.
“It was a good executed race. We just wanted to come home strong and be composed. I’ve got Oslo, Europeans, Monaco and London so I’ve got a lot more races and training,” he added.
The Brit also gave props to World Champion Antonio Watson who ran 45.61 for fifth.
“Listen, he’s the reigning World Champion so I’ve got to give him respect. He came out here in front of his people and raced. He delivered when it mattered,” he said.
The 21-year-old, who produced a massive personal best 44.14 in the semi-finals on Tuesday, ran a measured first 300m before producing a magnificent final 100m to blaze past Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith who was second in 44.31. American Quincy Hall ran a personal best 44.37 to take bronze.
2011 World Champion Kirani James ran 44.52 for fifth while Sean Bailey ran 44.96 for sixth.
Watson’s gold medal is the second in the World Championships by a Jamaican with the first coming 40 years ago when Bert Cameron took gold in Helsinki.
