Jackson trumps Thompson-Herah and Kimeli shines in Rome
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Shericka Jackson is gunning for an individual gold medal at
next month's world championships after seeing off a star-studded field to claim
victory in the women's 200m at Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Rome.
Jamaican Jackson clocked 21.91sec to cross well clear of
double Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah and reigning world champion
Dina Asher-Smith.
The 27-year-old won bronze in the 100m in last year's Tokyo
Olympics and was part of the 4x100m relay team, alongside Thompson-Herah, which
won gold in the Japanese capital.
"My aim is to add a gold medal to my name," said
Jackson.
"I have many individual medals at 400m and 100m, but I
need to get that gold medal in any event that might be. This is my aim this
season."
Jackson ended Thompson-Herah's unbeaten record this season
with a meeting record and season's best time as the worlds in Eugene, Oregon,
loom.
Her performance was all the more impressive due to her
compatriot and Briton Asher-Smith both running respective season's best times
of 22.25sec and 22.27sec.
"This race was a good one. I ran a season´s best, I
cannot complain," said Thompson-Herah.
"I still have to work on some stuff. Now I concentrate
on my nationals and I am looking forward to the world championships."
Another Tokyo gold medal winner in Athing Mu showed what she
was made of by strolling to victory in her favoured 800m on her first
appearance in a European Diamond League meeting.
American Mu, one of the stars of last year's Olympics who
turned 20 on Wednesday, finished in 1:57.01, the fastest time in the world this
year.
Mu was racing the distance for the first time in a serious
outdoor event this season and blitzed the opposition, finishing nearly two
seconds ahead of France's Renelle Lamont.
"I knew the pace was going to go out, but by the time
we got to next two hundred I had no idea. I am very happy with the time,"
said Mu.
Femke Bol took the honours in the women's 400m hurdles with
a season's best time of 53.02sec.
Dutch hope Bol, silver medallist at this year's indoor
worlds over the 400m flat, finished ahead of Jamaican Janieve Russell and
Ukraine's Anna Ryzhykova.
Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli set a new meeting record in the
5,000m, winning his first Diamond League race in 12:46.33 to beat marathon
legend Eliud Kipchoge's previous stadium best set back in 2004.
His time, over five seconds better than his previous
personal best, was also the fastest of the year so far and allowed him to pip
fellow Kenyan Jacob Krop to the win.
"I am so proud to achieve a world lead and a personal
best and the meeting record," said Kimeli.
Fred Kerley eased to victory in the men's 100m, cruising
home in 9.92sec well ahead of a field which was without injured home hero Lamont
Marcell Jacobs.
Shock Olympic gold medal winner Jacobs pulled out of the
event and a chance for a rematch at an outdoor event with American Kerley, who
finished behind the Italian in Tokyo's blue riband event.
Jacobs said that he was hoping to compete in "one or
two" events before the July 15-24 world championships in Eugene after
suffering a problem with his glute muscles during a meeting in Savona last
month.
He told reporters that he would like to take part in an
event with "a semi-final and a final in order to be able to put two races
close together".
"But if that's not possible, we'll go to Eugene hoping
to do the best we can," he added.
That Savona meeting was his first 100m race since stunning
the world by taking gold in Tokyo.


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