Two-time world 200m champion, Shericka Jackson, is keeping a positive and grounded mindset heading into the Olympic season.

Jackson, the fastest woman alive over 200m and second-fastest all time, will open her 2024 season at the Miramar Invitational in Florida on April 6.

“My mindset is really positive, grounded and it’s happy. That’s one of the pluses for me right now. Once you have a positive mindset approaching training each day, I think it’s something we as athletes look forward to every day,” she said in an interview with Citius Mag on Monday.

A simple but powerful tool that has helped Jackson’s rise to track and field superstardom is her ritual of writing her goals for a season down.

“I think it’s very important because it allows you to know that whenever you feel like giving up, you have goals to achieve. Me just writing down my goals is something that I look forward to and I just want to achieve all that I wrote down and if I don’t achieve them, I go back to the drawing board and I write new goals,” she said.

“Once I write my goals and I achieve them I tick them off because it’s something I look forward to. I remember growing up learning if you save $20 every day you’ll finish the week with a lot of money so it’s something that helps me to work super hard,” she added.

The reigning National Sportswoman of the Year also mentioned that while she hasn’t written down her goals for the 2024 season just yet, a maiden Olympic gold medal will certainly be on the list.

“Funny enough I haven’t even written them yet. Usually at the beginning of January, I write them but because of not going to World Indoors I put them on pause a bit but I definitely know they’re in my head. I just have to put them on paper. I’ve yet to achieve an Olympic gold medal so that’s definitely something I want to achieve,” she said.

Last season, Jackson inched even closer to Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 34-year-old 200m world record of 21.34 when she ran 21.41 to defend her world title in Budapest.

The 29-year-old says that the world record is on her mind but it isn’t something that she will go into every race thinking about.

“Honestly I remember when I was afraid to say I wanted to break the world record and coach and I had a conversation and he enlightened me about something. Whether I speak about it or not and I don’t achieve it, it’s not the end of the world. I think it’s something that we really look forward to,” she said.

“It would’ve definitely been a plus last year but it didn’t happen. I was still super happy. To be able to run two 21.4s and so much fast 21.5s in one season, I definitely think it’s something I look forward to. As I said, the World Record is on our mind but it’s not something we’re going to dwell on every race we go into. Once I’m healthy and in peak form, anything is possible,” she added.

 

 

Jamaica’s rising sprint sensation, Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls, is setting her sights on gold at the upcoming 2024 Carifta Games in Grenada, buoyed by her impressive performance at the 2024 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships held at the National Stadium in Kingston on Wednesday night.

East showcased her exceptional talent by clinching the Class 3 Girls 100m title in commanding fashion, crossing the finish line in a personal best time of 11.42 seconds. Her electrifying run secured the gold medal, leaving Adora Campbell of St Jago High School trailing behind with a time of 11.52 seconds, earning her the silver. Kerelle Etienne from Edwin Allen High School claimed the bronze with a time of 11.73 seconds.

Notably, East's winning time surpassed the performance of Carifta U17 girls champion Jamiah Nabbie from the Bahamas, who clocked 11.67 seconds to claim gold in her home country last year. East's improvement from her fourth-place finish last year, where she ran 11.97 seconds, has boosted her confidence for the upcoming Carifta Games.

Reflecting on her victory and the significant improvement in her time, East expressed her optimism, stating, “It does [boost my confidence], my time is better this year so I am hoping for the best. A new personal best and also a new season’s best; I’m really proud of myself and I hope to continue going forward.”

Despite facing stiff competition, East remained unfazed and focused on her goal. She credited her support system for helping her stay composed, saying, “I know that all my friends and family, especially my mom and my dad were right there behind me pushing me and supporting me along the way so I didn’t feel pressured, I just knew what I had to do and I came out here to do it today.”

 

Excelsior High’s Damor Miller and Hydel High’s Alliah Baker won the respective Class One boys and girls 100m titles on day two of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Wednesday.

Miller, who before Wednesday had never medaled at ‘champs’, produced a personal best 10.31 to take gold ahead of Calabar’s Khamani Gordon (10.37) and KC’s Yourie Lawrence-Clarke (10.45).

Hydel tasted success in the girls Class One final through their captain Baker who joined the club as one of the few ‘champs’ athletes to win medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m by running a big personal best 11.34 to win ahead of Edwin Allen’s Jounee Armstrong (11.52) and Wolmer’s Girls’ Mickayla Gardener (11.59).

KC’s Nyrone Wade held his composure to run a personal best 10.43 to take gold in the boys Class Two final ahead of Excelsior’s Malike Nugent (10.52) and Herbert Morrison’s Tavaine Stewart (10.56).

The girls Class Two event saw event favorite Theianna-Lee Terrelonge recover from a poor start to produce a personal best 11.22 to win gold ahead of Lacovia’s Sabrina Dockery (11.36) and St. Jago’s Briana Campbell (11.48).

Dockery also joined the club of athletes to win ‘champs’ medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m.

Mario Ross continued his excellent form this season with a brilliant personal best 10.88 to win boys Class Three gold ahead of Calabar’s fast-finishing Ched Brown (10.90) and St. George’s College’s Naethan Bryan (11.02).

Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls rebounded from silver last year to claim gold this year in the girls Class Three final in a personal best 11.42. St. Jago’s Adora Campbell was second in 11.52 while Edwin Allen’s Kerelle Etienne was third in 11.73.

Hydel’s Teixiera Johnson won a drama-filled Class Four final in 11.87 ahead of Mick-Kayla Gardener of Wolmer’s Girls (12.27) and pre-event favorite Rihanna Scott of Ferncourt High (12.31).

The drama started just before the race when Scott pulled up with an injury while warming up before eventually taking her place in the field and eventually securing bronze.

Nigel Ellis sent a clear message to his competition that he is ready to battle for a place on Jamaica’s team at the Olympic Games in Paris, France, this summer.

In the heats of the Men’s 100m at the Gibson-McCook Relays at the National Stadium in Kingston on February 24, he ran a controlled race in what was then a season’s best time of 10.15s to advance to the final.

Just about 2 hours later, Ellis powered to a second season’s best time of 10.09s to win the General Accident-sponsored Men’s 100m Final run in wet and rainy conditions.

He defeated the likes of other Olympic hopefuls, Javorne Dunkley, who was second in 10.17s and Jazeel Murphy, who was third in 10.23s.

Ellis’s time was just .05 seconds outside of his personal best of 10.04 seconds and was a really good time for him to be running in February, especially considering the conditions.

His control of the final from start to finish and his acceleration over the last 20 meters to power away from the field was reminiscent of what he did as a schoolboy while at St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and will rekindle hope among his fans that this may be the year that he does something special.

To close out his performance, Ellis, alongside second and third-place winners Dunkley and Murphy, walked away with gift baskets chock-full of sporting goods courtesy of race sponsor General Accident.

The first-time race sponsors were glad to support the efforts of the next generation of Olympic Games hopefuls.

“A staple event on the track calendar, the Gibson McCook Relays showcases the brightest track stars of the future, true assets to the sport. At GenAc, safeguarding your most valuable assets is our business, and we are proud to sponsor a competition geared towards protecting Jamaica’s athletic future,” Chief Operating Officer Gregory Foster shared.

Ellis, a former Carifta Games 100m champion and Commonwealth Games 4x100m bronze medallist from the 2018 Games held in Gold Coast, Australia, has yet to make a real mark, on an individual level, in the senior ranks.

At 26 years old, Ellis now has the experience required to become one of the top sprinters in the world and must be looking at the Paris Games as his chance at real stardom. 

 

The Wanda Diamond League has released a detailed summary of which disciplines will be staged at which meetings during the 2024 season.

In 2024, the world’s best athletes will once again take the stage in athletics’ premier one-day series, competing at 15 meetings across four different continents.

Athletes will compete for points in their chosen discipline at the 14 series meetings between April and September, with the most successful qualifying for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 13th-14th.

The season begins in Xiamen on April 20th, with the men’s 100m, women’s 200m and a 100/110m hurdles double bill among the headline events. Each discipline will then be staged at least four and up to eight times on the Road to the Final, giving athletes from across the globe enough opportunities to earn points.

Two meetings will be held at a different location in 2024 due to stadium renovation works in their usual locations. The Meeting International Mohammed VI will move from Rabat to Marrakech, while the Wanda Diamond League Shanghai will take place in Suzhou.

The 14 series meetings will each take place in a two-hour TV world programme and will all stage at least 14 Diamond Disciplines. The Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels will be the only meeting to feature every single discipline, with all 32 Diamond League champions crowned over the course of two days.

The season calendar and the allocation of disciplines remain subject to change.

A list of disciplines for each meeting will also be available under the 'programme and results' page on each individual meeting website.

As well as the Diamond Disciplines, each meeting may also include additional disciplines in their programme, in which athletes will not earn points on the Road to the Final.

The disciplines are as follows: 100m (M,W), 200m (M,W), 400m (M,W), 800m (M,W), 1500m/Mile (M,W), 3000m/5000m (M,W), 3000m Steeplechase (M,W), 110m Hurdles (M), 100m Hurdles (W), 400m Hurdles (M,W), High Jump (M,W), Pole Vault (M,W), Long Jump (M,W), Triple Jump (M,W), Shot Put (M,W), Discus Throw (M,W), Javelin Throw (M,W).

Oblique Seville continued his good form Sunday post last month's 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest when he finished second in the 100m at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb, Croatia.

Seville, who clocked 10.88s for fourth place in the 100m final in Budapest, clocked 10.04 finishing just behind Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who won in 9.94.

Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs finished third in 10.08.

Jamaican 100m champion Rohan Watson was seventh in 10.32.

 

Elaine Thompson-Herah ran a massive season-best of 10.84s to win the 100m dash at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels on Friday.

Struggling for form primarily because of injury throughout most of the season, the double-double Olympic champion ran her best race this season with a commanding performance that would have inspired confidence that she is finally getting back to her best.

In her devastating wake was compatriot Natasha Morrison, who ran a season’s best 10.95 for second place. Great Britain’s Dina Asher Smith was third in 10.97.

Sashalee Forbes was fifth in 11.17.

This was Thompson-Herah’s third season best time in as many races after running 10.92 in Switzerland on September 4, which followed an 11.00 clocking on August 31.

 

Reigning double-sprint Olympic Champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah continues to show signs of a potential return to top form in 2024 after a season’s best 10.92 to win at the Gala dei Castelli, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bellinzola, Switzerland on Monday.

Thompson-Herah, who has endured a season riddled with injuries, took the win ahead of Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot (10.99), her first time below 11 seconds, and Gambia’s Gina Bass (11.12).

This was only Thompson-Herah’s second 100m race since finishing fifth at the Jamaican trials in July. She ran 11.00 for second at the Zurich Diamond League on August 31.

The 31-year-old was a member of Jamaica’s silver medal 4x100m team at the recently concluded World Championships in Budapest where she ran in the heats.

On the men’s side, Oblique Seville ran 10.01 to take the win ahead of Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (10.04) and South Africa’s Akani Simbine (10.12).

Seville narrowly missed out on a medal in Budapest, finishing fourth in 9.88, the same time credited to bronze medallist, Zharnel Hughes.

Another 100m finalist in Budapest, Ryiem Forde, was seventh in 10.28 on Monday.

Natoya Goule-Toppin rebounded from a sub-par showing in Budapest to take the 800m in 1:57.53, a new meet record.

The USA’s Addison Wiley ran a personal best 1:57.64 in second while Switzerland’s Audrey Werro ran a national record 1:58.13 in third.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who was upset by Danielle Williams in Budapest, came out on top with a meet record 12.56 in the 100m hurdles. The Netherlands’ Nadine Visser ran a season’s best 12.61 in second while the USA’s Nia Ali ran 12.63 in third.

Shashalee Forbes, a member of Jamaica's silver-medal winning 4x100m team in Budapest, ran 22.74 for second in the 200m behind the USA's Tamara Clark (22.64). Italy's Dalia Kaddari ran 22.86 for third.

Orlando Bennett ran 13.40 for third in the men’s 110m hurdles won by Switzerland’s Jason Joseph in 13.18. Senegal’s Louis Francois Mendy was second in 13.29.

In the field, 2019 World Championship silver-medallist Fedrick Dacres threw 66.19m for third in the discus behind World Champion Daniel Stahl (67.24m) and Kristjan Ceh (67.15m).

The only Jamaican junior athlete to ever run under 10 seconds, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, has signed a professional contract with sports apparel giants Adidas.

Nkrumie, who took silver in the 100m at the 2022 World U20 Championships in Colombia, sent shockwaves through the track & field world when he sped to a national junior record 9.99 to take the Class One Boys 100m title at the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March.

Unfortunately, the 19-year-old’s season was then interrupted by a hamstring injury he sustained as the Carifta Games just over a week later.

The former Kingston College standout recovered from his injury in time for the National Championships but was, understandably, far from his best.

He ran 10.21 in the heats but failed to get to the final after a 10.39 effort for sixth in his semi-final.

Nkrumie closed out his season with a silver medal at the Pan Am U20 Championships in Puerto Rico in on August 4. His time in the final was 10.31.

Sha’Carri Richardson produced a breathtaking performance to claim her maiden World 100m title on day three of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Monday.

Richardson, running from lane nine after a shaky performance in the semi-finals earlier on Saturday, produced a personal best and championship record 10.65 to take the gold.

Shericka Jackson followed up her 10.79 in the semis with 10.72 to take her second consecutive silver medal in the evet while defending champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, was third with a season’s best 10.77.

 

Great Britain’s speed king Zharnel Hughes admits Olympic heartbreak inspired him to his historic 100m bronze at the World Championships.

The 28-year-old clocked 9.88 seconds to finish third in Sunday’s night final – less than an hour after Katarina Johnson-Thompson won heptathlon gold in Budapest.

Hughes became the first British man to win an individual 100m sprint medal at the worlds in 20 years – since Darren Campbell’s bronze in 2003.

The USA’s Noah Lyles took the title in 9.83 seconds with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo winning silver, just a thousandth of a second ahead of Hughes.

It marks Hughes’ comeback after he was disqualified for a false start in the Olympic 100m final.

He said: “The heartbreak I’ve been through from Tokyo was devastating. Last year, I missed out on the finals. I got knocked out in the semis. I told myself this time, ‘I’m not getting knocked out whatsoever. I’m going to give it my very best’.

“I got through that semis and I told myself in the warm-up, ‘believe Zharnel. You got this’.

“I kept it all in. I cried a lot but lessons were learnt and I dug deep. It’s been years of trying, years of lessons – I wouldn’t call it failure – years of lessons.

“Doubts were there. People probably didn’t believe in me as much but I just need to believe in myself. Over the years the speed has always been there but the mind wasn’t aligned properly. Now it’s instinct.

“This morning I wrote down, ‘get a medal’. I thought I won. Being in the race, it looks a lot closer but a medal is a medal.”

The European 200m champion went into the race as the fastest man in the world this year and was boosted after defending champion Fred Kerley crashed out in the semi final, along with Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.

Hughes, ranked 12th in the world ahead of the championships, had qualified fourth fastest after running 9.93s in his semi.

Yet he had struggled with a slow start in the heat and semi and, despite the fastest reaction time in the final, still needed to recover in the last 50m to ensure he snatched a podium place in a tight race.

It caps a remarkable summer for the Anguilla-born star, who trains under Usain Bolt’s former coach Glen Mills, after he broke two long-standing British records.

In June, he shattered Linford Christie’s 30-year 100m record by running 9.83s in New York.

A month later in London, he broke John Regis’ 200m mark to post 19.73s. Hughes is now eyeing the 200m and 4x100m relay.

Eugene Amo-Dadzie, an accountant who is due back to work as a senior management accountant for property developer Berkeley Group on August 29, bowed out in the semi-final after running 10.03s – still quicker than Olympic champion Jacobs.

Reece Prescod ran 10.26s and also failed to qualify, ending his championships as the 25-year-old pulled out of the 4x100m relay squad last week.

Great Britain’s speed king Zharnel Hughes grabbed brilliant bronze to make history in the 100m final at the World Championships.

The 28-year-old clocked 9.88 seconds to finish third on Sunday night – less than an hour after Katarina Johnson-Thompson won heptathlon gold in Budapest.

Hughes becomes the first British man to win an individual 100m sprint medal at the worlds in 20 years – since Darren Campbell’s bronze in 2003.

The USA’s Noah Lyles took the title in 9.83 seconds with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo winning silver just a thousandth of a second ahead of Hughes.

European 200m champion Hughes went into the race as the fastest man in the world this year and was boosted after defending champion Fred Kerley crashed out in the semi final, along with Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.

Hughes, ranked 12th in the world ahead of the Championships, had qualified fourth fastest after running 9.93s in his semi.

Yet he had struggled with a slow start in the heat and semi and, despite the fastest reaction time in the final, still needed to recover in the last 50m to ensure he snatched a podium place in a tight race.

It caps a remarkable summer for the Anguilla-born star, who trains under Usain Bolt’s former coach Glen Mills, after he broke two long-standing British records.

In June, he shattered Linford Christie’s 30-year 100m record by running 9.83s in New York.

A month later in London, he broke John Regis’ 200m mark to post 19.73s.

Eugene Amo-Dadzie, an accountant who is due back to work as a senior management accountant for property developer Berkeley Group on August 29, bowed out in the semi-final after running 10.03s – still quicker than Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.

Reece Prescod ran 10.26s and also failed to qualify, ending his Championships with the 25-year-old pulling out of the 4x100m relay squad last week.

Defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Julien Alfred all turned in impressive opening runs to advance to the semi-finals of the Women’s 100m dash at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday.

American upstart Sha’Carri Richardson and the ever-improving Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast also demonstrated their immense talents setting up what is expected to be an intense semi-final round and an electrifying final on Monday.

Fraser-Pryce, who is going for a record-extending sixth world 100m title allayed fears about the impact of her injured knee, blasted out of the blocks but did not engage the after-burners as she cruised through the line in 11.01.

Swiss champion Mujinga Kambundji who has had her own issues with injury this season, came in second in 11.08. New Zealand’s fastest woman Zoe Hobbs advanced to the semis finishing third in 11.14.

 In similar fashion, Jackson the 2022 silver medalist, cruised to victory in Heat 4 in 11.06. Trinidad and Tobago’s veteran Michelle Lee Ahye took second place in a season’s best 11.16 with Germany’s Gina Lukenkemper third in 11.21.

Alfred, the NCAA champion, shook off her rust by winning her heat in 10.99 while holding off Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, who clocked 11.03 for second place. Gambia’s Gina Bass was third in 11.10.

Meanwhile, the USA’s gold medal hopeful ShaCarri Richardson cruised to an easy win in her heat stopping the clock in 10.92 with Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison 11.02 trailing in her wake. Italy’s Daynab Dosso ran a national record 11.14 to finish third and also advance to the semi-finals.

Ta Lou, who has run a lifetime best of 10.75 this season, let it known that she has no intention of being a bridesmaid at these championships, when she cruised to an easy time of 11.08 to win her heat ahead of Jamaica’s Sashalee Forbes, who clocked in at 11.12.

Buoyed by the cheers of her home crowd, Hungary’s Boglárka Takacs, finished third in 11.18.

Britanny Brown of the USA won her heat in 11.01 ahead of Great Britain's medal hopeful Dina Asher-Smith and Jaël Bestue of Spain who clocked 11.28.

Polish sprint star Ewa Swoboda also turned in an impressive performance storming to a 10.98 run to win her heat ahead of the USA’s Tamari Davis (11.06) and N'Ketia Seedo of the Netherlands, who clocked in at 11.11, a new personal best.

 

 

Defending World 200m Champion, Shericka Jackson, has heightened anticipation for the upcoming IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest by making a declaration that she is “a lot faster” than she was at the Jamaican Trials in July.

At those trials held at the National Stadium in Kingston, the 29-year-old produced a personal best and world-leading 10.65 to defend her 100m title before returning two days later to run 21.71 to defend her 200m crown.

“I’ve gotten a lot faster since the Jamaica trials. It’s just to go out there and execute a good 100m and 200m and I’m definitely expecting good things. I’m in pretty good shape so anything is possible,” Jackson said.

Jackson, who also ran 10.71 to finish second in the 100m at last year’s World Championships in Eugene, ran a pair of 100s and 200s after her exploits at the Jamaican Championships.

The former Vere Technical standout ran 10.78 for second at the Silesia Diamond League on July 16 before, two days later, running 22.02 for victory at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary.

Three days after that, she ran 21.86, her second fastest time of the season, to win at the Monaco Diamond League before running 10.94 for third at the London Diamond League on July 23.

She says that she was able to get some good work done on the training track after those four races.

Jackson also believes some 400m work earlier in the season has put her in a good position to produce her best in both the 100m and 200m in Budapest.

“Earlier in the season I did some 400m work and then I backed off to focus on the 100m. Since I’ve finished competing in those four events on the circuit, we’ve went back to the drawing board and we’re doing pretty well,” she said

“We have days when we focus on the 200m and days when we focus on the 100m so it’s a good balance,” she added.

When questioned about the loaded field she will have to deal with in both events, Jackson said that the most important thing to her right now is getting to the finals.

“The rounds are the most important. You can’t win a medal if you don’t go through the rounds so I think once all of us line up in the final, anything is possible,” she said.

When initially making the switch from the 400m to the 100m, Jackson’s start was something that was under the microscope but she says it is no longer an issue.

“My start has improved tremendously since 2021 and all I’ll have to do is execute and focus on my lane,” she said.

Jackson also said that, despite her scintillating form over the last two seasons, World Records are not the main thing on her mind in Budapest. Instead, her focus is executing a good race and taking whatever times come.

“I’m not going to say I don’t focus on breaking the World Record but it’s not something I dwell on,” she said.

“Yes, it’s in the back of my head that if I execute a good race, then it’s definitely possible but I’m not going to go into the race thinking about a World Record. My coach and I have mental sessions where we focus on a vision of how I’m going to execute the race. Once I go out there and execute a fast time will come,” she added.

The Championships will take place from August 19-27. All the action can be seen live on the SportsMax app.

Not since Paris in 2003 has the men’s 100m title been claimed by a sprinter from outside the US or Jamaica. Could 2023 in Budapest be the time and place for someone to follow in the footsteps of Kim Collins by bringing an end to the 20-year-old duopoly?

The event appears to be as open as it was in the French capital two decades ago, when Collins put St Kitts and Nevis on the global track and field map. No-one stands out as a clear favourite, though Fred Kerley perhaps ought to be considered the main contender.

The 6ft 3in Texan is the reigning champion, having led a US medal sweep on home soil in Oregon last year ahead of Marvin Bracy-Williams and Trayvon Bromell. US sprinters have won the last three golds and Kerley will lead the starred and striped challenge in Budapest, supported this time by Cravont Charleston, the 2019 world champion Christian Coleman and two-time world 200m champion Noah Lyles, a potential ‘surprise’ packet.

Kerley has contested just five 100m races this season, two of them in the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Yokohama in May, where he clocked a season’s best of 9.88. He registered comfortable victories on the Diamond League circuit in Rabat and Florence, both in 9.94, but was edged out in a tight finish in Silesia on 16 July, South Africa’s Akani Simbine taking the win in 9.97 with Kerley and Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme clocking 9.98 in second and third, and the newly-crowned US champion Charleston fourth in 9.99.

Ahead of Kerley on the 2023 world list stand two potential challengers in Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (9.83) and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (9.84).

When Hughes, a qualified pilot, flew to his 9.83 clocking in New York on 24 June, he sliced 0.04 off the ancient national record held by the only British sprinter to have claimed the world 100m title, Linford Christie, who triumphed in Stuttgart 30 years ago. Should he strike gold in Budapest, the native Anguillan would make it five wins in the event for his Jamaican coach, Glen Mills, the sprint guru who guided Usain Bolt to victory in 2009, 2013 and 2015, and also Yohan Blake in 2011.

“Obviously people are going to target the time I’ve run,” said Hughes, who won the European 200m title last year, “but I don’t put pressure on myself. That’s when things can go topsy turvy.”

Hughes, who false started in the Olympic final two years ago, has no other official sub-10 to his name in 2023, although he won the British title in 10.03 in monsoon conditions and smashed John Regis’ 30-year-old national 200m record with 19.73 for third place behind Lyles (19.47) and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (19.50) in the London Diamond League meeting on 23 July.

Omanyala is the only man who has dipped under 9.90 twice this year, the Commonwealth champion backing up his 9.84 from the Kip Keino Classic in May with 9.85 in the Kenyan trials on 8 July. The former rugby player has yet to make a global 100m final but has been a consistent performer on the Diamond League stage, placing third in Rabat, second in Florence and Paris and first in Monaco, and is not lacking in confidence.

Simbine’s victory ahead of Kerley in Silesia will have raised his hopes of finally making a global podium – and winning the race to become Africa’s first medal winner in the event. The 29-year-old South African has long been the ‘nearly’ man of the 100m: fifth in London in 2017, fourth in Doha in 2019 and fifth in Oregon last year, as well as fourth and fifth in the last two Olympic finals. With four successive wins behind him (in Kladno, Ostrava, Stockholm and Silesia), he heads to Hungary with serious momentum.

The African challenge promises to be fierce. Like Simbine and Omanyala, Eseme and Tebogo have also notched top three finishes on the Diamond League circuit, while Simbine’s South African teammate Shaun Maswanganyi has a 9.91 clocking to his name.

A place on the podium might not be beyond the scope of all four US sprinters – including Lyles, who beat Omanyala and Tebogo to win the 100m at the Paris Diamond League and was recovering from Covid when he took third place in the US Championships. He boasts a PB of 9.86.

A new kid on the senior international block, the 20-year-old Bahamian Terrence Jones who won the NCAA indoor 60m title in March, has run 9.91.

The Jamaican challenge will be led by Oblique Seville, who finished fourth in Oregon last year, and the emerging Rohan Watson, who started the year with a best of 10.41 but won the Jamaican title in 9.91. Ackeem Blake stands fourth on the world list with 9.89 but, having placed fourth in the trials, is on the entry list as a reserve.

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