Ricketts, Anderson get in last steps ahead of trials
Published:Wednesday | June 15, 2022 | 12:10 AM
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP triple jump silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts ensured that she will enter next weekend’s National Senior Championships in winning form after her exploits at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, yesterday.
Ricketts won the women’s triple jump with a distance of 14.35 metres on her second attempt, landing her sixth win of the season and her third outside of Jamaica.
Neja Filipic of Slovenia was second with 14.26m, while Tori Franklin of the United States was third with a mark of 14.05.
Dominica’s Thea LaFond, who defeated Ricketts in the Diamond League meet in Rabat, Morocco, on June 5 was ninth with 13.61. Ricketts has yet to finish outside of the top two this season. It is her second-furthest distance this year. The Jamaican’s season’s best is 14.43, which she did in Morocco. Rickett’s season’s best is also the fifth-longest distance in the world this year.
Meanwhile, hurdler Britany Anderson, the only other Jamaican to compete at the meet, had another strong showing, finishing second in the women’s 100m hurdles final in a time of 12.59 seconds.
Anderson was narrowly edged out of first place by Tobi Asuman of Nigeria, who clocked a season’s best time of 12.57. Nadine Visser was third, also in a season’s best 12.72.
Anderson had won her first-round heat in 12.67, beating Visser in the process.
The Tokyo Olympic Games finalist is yet to finish outside of the top two this season as well; she has won thrice.
Anderson says she is looking forward to returning home to fine-tune her preparations for next weekend’s National Senior Championships.
“Super happy with these meets. Can’t wait to go home and put some work in,” Anderson said yesterday in an Instagram story post.
The meet was the 10th event on the World Athletics Continental Tour and the final event before the National Championships, which starts next Thursday.
Jamaican athletes are scheduled to compete in the Diamond League meets in Olso tomorrow and in Paris this Saturday.