Shericka Jackson returns to 400s with Velocity Fest 10 win

Fresh off a strong indoor season, multiple Olympic and World Championship medalist Shericka Jackson returned to her 400-metre roots in victorious fashion.

Jackson kicked off her 2022 outdoor season in 51.29 seconds in the 400m B final at Velocity Fest 10, held at the National Stadium this evening.

Tokyo Olympic 4x400m relay bronze medalist Candice McCleod (51.78 seconds) was second, while Jackson's MVP track club teammate Anthonique Strachan finished third in 52.84 seconds.

Speaking of what has happened so far this season, Jackson is coming off gradual improvements in the 60 metres at her first World Indoor Championships and believes she has set the platform for her sophomore season doing the short sprints.

"My coach believed that I could have run faster. But I'm coming from 7.32 seconds [on February 3] which I ran outdoor and then on my first indoor [World Championships], I ran 7.04, so I am just grateful, healthy and excited," Jackson said.

In the short sprints, MVP's Shockoria Wallace opened her season with a new personal best of 11.15 seconds, winning the women's 100 metres ahead of SprintTec's Sashalee Forbes (11.21) and her teammate, Remona Burchell, who was third in 11.33.

There were three men's 100m finals events and Racer's Oblique Seville, was fastest across them, finishing his straight in 10.06 seconds. The C final win was just two thousandth of a second off his lifetime best of 10.04.

Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes was second with a season's best of 10.10. GC Foster College's Kadrian Goldson was third in 10.22, while 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake finished fourth in 10.25.

Natasha Morrison continued her strong start to the outdoor season, winning her second 200m in a season's best 23.05 seconds. Morrison finished ahead of Roneisha McGregor (23.14) and SprintTec's Anastasia-Le Roy (23.35).

Long Jump World Champion Tajay Gayle opened his 2022 season with a win as well, jumping out to 7.97 metres to finish ahead of Guyana's Emanuel Archibald (7.93) and Sprint Tec's Shawn-D Thompson (7.92).

There were meet records for World Championship discus silver medalist, Fedrick Dacres, who won that event with a throw of 65.41 metres and Shadae Lawrence, who won the women's discipline with a throw of 62.19. Orlando Thomas also set a new meet record in the men's javelin with a winning throw of 70.27 metres.