Monaco Diamond League

Jackson, who won her first global title in Eugene, Oregon in July, also won a silver medal in the 100m in a lifetime best of 10.73 as the runner-up to Fraser Pryce in the blue-riband sprint at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon in July.

But in a pre-meet press conference on Monday, the increasingly confident Jackson believes faster 100m times are coming.

“I don’t think I have reached my full potential as yet. It’s taking some time, the World Championships was actually good I ran a personal best,” said Jackson.

“I am looking to run faster 100s. I think I have mastered the 200m a little so I am excited to put together a proper 100 and see how fast I can go.”

 Jackson also revealed that she enjoys competing against her friend Fraser-Pryce, explaining that matching strides with the five-time world 100m champion who has run 10.66 this season brings the best out of her.

“It’s just been probably two years since I have been competing with her competitively and I enjoy every moment of it. She brings out the best in me in the 100 and I like that, I like competition and she always brings her ‘A’ game so I am looking for super exciting times…”

Fraser-Pryce has run under 10.70 five times this season, more than any woman in history.

Meanwhile, Jackson believes she can go even faster than the 21.45 she ran in Oregon and will focus on achieving that particular goal when she begins preparation for the 2022/2023 season in a few weeks’ time.

“Coach and I had discussed right after I ran 21.5 (at the National Stadium in Kingston in late June) that if I continue to think about the time I will end up disappointing myself if I don’t meet those expectations; yes, I do have a time in mind, which funny enough, the 21.45 was my goal for this season. I have achieved that and when I went back home I set a new goal,” she said.

“I set a new goal because I want to run faster, I believe I can run faster than 21.4 so coach and I discussed and we are preparing to run faster, so if it doesn’t happen this season, we will go back to the drawing board and prepare.

“So yes, I have a 100m time that I have not achieved as yet so I have a couple (more) hundreds this season so I am just going fix what needs to be fixed and hope I meet my goals for the 100.”

Hibbert will compete in triple jump while Smith will take part in the long jump.

“I’m really happy to be here in Monaco,” Hibbert said Thursday’s pre-meet press conference.

“I’m just super excited to see what the competition is like at this level and just to get my groove on and enjoy myself here,” he added.

Smith also offered similar sentiments before saying she was surprised to be invited to the press conference.

“It’s definitely an honor. As you can tell, my hands are a little shaky. It’s definitely been a great first experience,” she said.

“When I was on the plane, my coach said ‘you have a press conference’ and I thought he was talking to Julien (Alfred) because I did not expect to be here,” Smith added.

Both Hibbert and Smith are both in the midst of breakthrough seasons.

Hibbert, the reigning World U20 champion, in his freshman season at the University of Arkansas, won the SEC Indoor and Outdoor titles before winning both NCAA titles as well.

In the process, he broke both the NCAA collegiate Indoor and Outdoor records. He produced 17.54m, a world U20 record which was recently ratified, to win the NCAA Indoor title.

A couple months later, the 18-year-old jumped a massive 17.87m, the furthest jump in the world this year, to win the SEC Outdoor title. He also jumped 17.56m to take the NCAA Outdoor crown.

Earlier in July, Hibbert successfully defended his title at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships with 17.68m.

“With all these accomplishments, I’m really grateful. Especially as a teenager, not even yet in my prime. I just want to give God thanks and say I’m really excited to continue,” Hibbert said

On Friday, Hibbert will be lining up against the likes of Americans Will Claye and Christian Taylor as well as Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango, whose season’s best of 17.81m puts him second in the world this season behind Hibbert.

“It should be a great competition tomorrow. Everybody’s a star out there. I truly look up to everybody, especially when I was younger. My coach would always tell me to look at these guys and try to replicate what they do,” Hibbert said.

He mentioned Cuban-born Portuguese Olympic and World Champion, Pedro Pichardo, when asked which triple jumper inspires him.

“I like how humble he is and how technical he is in the phases,” Hibbert said.

Smith, a sophomore at the University of Texas has also enjoyed a career-best season.

The 21-year-old jumped a world-leading 7.08m to win the long jump title at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in May and followed that up with a 6.88m effort to claim her maiden NCAA Outdoor title.

She finished third at the recently concluded Jamaican Championships with a best jump of 6.66m.

Smith has also excelled in the triple jump this year. She jumped a personal best 14.54m to claim silver at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She was also runner-up at the Jamaican Championships with a 14.26m effort.

On Friday, she will be competing in a loaded field including the likes of Yulimar Rojas, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Ivana Vuleta, just to name a few.

Rojas is the current World and Olympic Champion and World Record holder in the triple jump. Davis-Woodhall is coming off a win at the US Championships and is currently second in the world behind Smith with 7.07m while Vuleta is a five-time Diamond League final winner, two-time World Indoor Champion and an Olympic bronze medallist.