Jamaican Shericka Jackson came close to breaking Griffith-Joyner’s 200m record. Mondo Duplantis remained stuck at 6.10 m.
Double reigning world champion in the 200m, each time threatening the world record of icon Florence Griffith-Joyner which goes back 35 years, Shericka Jackson openly aspired to seize it in the ideal conditions of the stadium. Roi Baudouin, brand new and rare track “Jamaican weather» in the Belgian capital.
The 29-year-old Jamaican did not achieve the feat on Friday evening, but she firmly maintained the pressure she has been exerting on her for over a year with a victory in 21”48 (wind: +0.2 m /s). So much so that she now holds the second (21”41 in August 2023), third (21”45 in July 2022) and fourth (21”48 Friday) best times in history over 200 m, behind the 21”34 run by Griffith-Joyner in 1988.
«I am very happy with my race. I really felt good, I am convinced that this record is coming, that I am getting closer to it», Believes the one who is also a double world silver medalist in the 100m (2022 and 2023).
Under Bubka’s eyes
«It’s been a good season. I hope to get one more victory and get closer to this record», she projects, one week before her last competition of the summer, the Diamond League final in Eugene (Oregon, United States) on September 16 and 17.
If he continues to string together competitions and victories above six meters, the 6.23 m, one centimeter higher than his last world record established in February, continues to be denied to Duplantis.
After Stockholm at the beginning of July, the world final in Budapest at the end of August and Zurich (Switzerland) a week ago, the pole vaulter phenomenon stumbled for the fourth time on the same bar on the Belgian vault, under the eyes of his illustrious predecessor Sergei Bubka very attentive in the stands.
«I had it in me to jump the world record today and I really thought I was going to do it, it’s a shame. But my jumps were lousy“, regrets “World». «Even the last one at 6.23 m, it didn’t go far but it wasn’t a great jump.»
The 23-year-old Swede nevertheless won with 6.10 m, the Belgian meeting record. Once again, the reigning Olympic champion and double world champion was the only one to go higher than six meters. The American Sam Kendricks and the Filipino EJ Obiena, second and third in the trials, both topped out at 5.92 m. Thibaut Collet, fifth at the recent Worlds, ranked seventh with 5.82 m.
First for Ingebrigtsen
In the short-run 2,000 m, the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen set his first outdoor world record. In 4’43”13, he did better, by more than a second and a half, than the Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj almost a quarter of a century ago (4’44”79 in 1999).
«It’s always nice to break a record. I knew I could beat this one, the hares helped me a lot, and honestly this record wasn’t difficult for me», Estimates the reigning Olympic champion in the 1,500 m.
The 22-year-old Norwegian already holds the indoor world record for 1,500 m (3’30”60) since February 2022, and the European outdoor record (3’27”14).
It is also El Guerrouj who holds the world record that Ingebrigtsen undoubtedly covets in the long term.
In the javelin throw, best performance of the year and national record with 67.38 m for the Japanese Haruka Kitaguchi, freshly crowned world champion.
