2 months ago
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FRESH off her exploits in the Grand Slam Track series, Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent will make her first Diamond League appearance of the season in a very stacked women’s 100m hurdles line-up today in Stockholm, the seventh stop in the series.
Nugent, with a season’s best of 12.34 seconds, which is the third-fastest time in the world so far this year, will line up against Diamond League leader Grace Stark of the United States, whose best time this season is 12.42.
Also in the field are her countrywomen, former world record holder Kendra Harrison (12.40) and Alysha Johnson (12.56), along with Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, who has a season’s best of 12.65.
Nugent will be hoping to maintain her impressive form in the event this season, in what will be her final race ahead of the National Championships in two weeks’ time.
Two other Jamaicans will join Nugent in action at the meet today – female long jumper Ackelia Smith and male discus thrower Roje Stona.
Smith is coming off a sixth-place finish in the triple jump in Oslo. Stona will be hoping to better his opening-season mark of 67.85 metres, done after his second-place finish at the Rome Diamond League.
Following her season-opening run of 10.89 seconds, Olympic champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia will make her second appearance in the women’s 100m in just over three days.
She will be hoping for a better start and to improve on her time, which was bettered later that day by Anthaya Charlton of the Bahamas and Jameesia Ford of the United States, who both clocked 10.87 in the semi-finals of the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Both are now joint second overall on the World Top List in the event, with Alfred slipping to number four.
Alfred will face a similar line-up to what she encountered on Thursday at the Oslo Bislett Diamond League, including her training partner Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain, her countrywoman Daryll Neita, and Côte d’Ivoire’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith.
“I feel pretty relaxed,” Alfred said at a pre-meet press conference. “I have been training well, I am feeling really good and looking forward to an amazing race here in Europe.”
A very interesting event today will be the final race of the meet, the men’s 400m hurdles, which will feature the top three athletes in the world – Karsten Warholm of Norway, Alison dos Santos of Brazil, and Rai Benjamin of the United States, going head-to-head for the second time in three days.
The trio last met in the rarely run men’s 300m hurdles in Oslo, where the Norwegian blazed to a world record 32.67 seconds for the win, finishing ahead of Benjamin, second with a personal best 33.22, and Santos third in 33.38.
Another thriller is expected today, with Warholm entering as the Diamond League leader, Santos unbeaten in three Grand Slam Track meets, and Benjamin, the Olympic champion, competing in the event for the first time this season.
English (US) ·