Shericka shines at Velocity Fest 12
Published:Monday | March 27, 2023 | 1:03 AMRaymond Graham/Gleaner Writer
Shericka Jackson’s season’s best 50.92 over 400 metres was the highlight at last Saturday’s Velocity Fest 12 meet at the National Stadium.
The World 200 metres champion went well below the 52.03 she clocked two weeks ago in her second 400m race of the season at the GC Foster Classics.
Drawn in lane six, Jackson, of MVP Track Club, was pushed for the majority of the race by Stacy Ann Williams of Elite Performance Track Club. Making her season’s debut, Williams, who represented Jamaica at last year’s World Championships, was neck and neck with Jackson up to the 350 metres mark before the latter showed her class to pull away in the end for the win. Williams clocked 51.59 as MVP’s Janieve Russell ended third in 52.77 in her season opener.
Bahamian Anthonique Strachan of MVP topped the field in the 100m final, stopping the clock at 11.02 seconds. She won ahead of Racers Track Club’s Jodean Williams, who clocked a personal best 11.27. SprinTec Track Club’s Remona Burchell took third in 11.30.
Barbadian Sada Williams, last year’s World 400 metres bronze medallist, raced to a season’s best 22.98 seconds in winning Section B of the women’s 200m. She won ahead of her MVP training partner, Natasha Morrison, who was second in second in 23.24. Tovea Jenkins of SprinTec took third in a season’s best 23.92.
Section A of the 200m event saw a clash between former World Unde-20 champions Tina Clayton of MVP and Briana Williams of Titans Track Club . It was the two-time World Under-20 champion Clayton, after a quick first 150 metres, who came out on top, winning in 23.69, as Williams, who was making her season debut, placed third in 24.03. Srabini Nanda of MVP was second in 23.99.
The men’s 100m final lost some of its lustre when pre-race favourites Zharnel Hughes of Racers and Julian Forte of Elite Performance were both disqualified for false-starting. Brendon Rodney of SprinTec won the event in a personal best 10.17 seconds, and there was also a personal best for Wolmer’s Boys’ Class One athlete Jelani Gordon, who warmed up for this week’s Boys’ Champs with 10.22. Former St Elizabeth Technical schoolboy Sachin Dennis took third in 10.23.
National men’s 400m record holder Rusheen McDonald of MVP ran a season’s best 20.67 to win the 200m. Racers’ Antonio Watson (20.73) and Nigel Ellis (20.89) of Elite Performance ended second and third, respectively.