Jamaicans chase Diamond League final spots

Ten Jamaicans will be chasing qualification for the September 4-5 Wanda Diamond League final in Brussels when they compete at the 14th and final regular-season meeting, Weltklasse Zürich, at Letzigrund Stadium today. Eleven Jamaicans have already secured their places in the lucrative final, led by World Championships men’s 100m champion Oblique Seville and Commonwealth Games men’s triple jump champion Jordan Scott, who lead their respective events. Jaydon Hibbert will join Scott in the men’s triple jump, while Orlando Bennett is qualified in the 110m hurdles, Commonwealth Games champion Romaine Beckford in the men’s high jump, Roje Stona in the men’s discus throw, Shericka Jackson in the women’s 200m, Nickisha Pryce in the women’s 400m, Rushell Clayton in the women’s 400m hurdles, Ackelia Smith in the women’s triple jump, and Danniel Thomas-Dodd in the women’s shot put.

Defending champion Ackera Nugent is among those still seeking qualification in the women’s 100m hurdles for which she will be joined by two-time World Championships gold medallist Danielle Williams. They will face world leader Masai Russell of the United States and fellow American Alaysha Johnson, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, and Nadine Visser of the Netherlands. Nugent won the Diamond League title in the event last year and will be looking to secure another appearance in the season-ending final.

World Championships medallist Tina Clayton, ranked fourth in the women’s 100m standings, will line up alongside eighth-ranked Jonielle Smith and Brianna Lyston. They will face an elite field that includes unbeaten American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, world leader Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States, Olympic champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia, and Zoe Hobbs of New Zealand. Rushell Clayton, who is already qualified in the women’s 400m hurdles, is coming off a fourth-place finish in Lausanne last week after finishing in the top three in her previous five Diamond League appearances.

She will be seeking to rebound against world leader Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia, who has won all her Diamond League races this season; American Anna Cockrell; Great Britain’s Emily Newnham, silver medallist at both the Commonwealth Games and European Championships; Gianna Woodruff of Panama; and veteran Dalilah Muhammad of the United States. Both Wayne Pinnock and Tajay Gayle, ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the men’s…