CONTINUING HER BLISTERING form, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden blew away her 100-meter rivals with a win in 10.76, giving the ’24 Olympic bronze medalist 5 of the best 6 100 times of the year after her outing in the Belgian capital.
“This was my first time running in Brussels. I’m always looking forward to running in new places and to discover new things. I felt so much love. I was happy to come out here and compete the way I wanted it to be,” said the Florida native, who has elevated herself to favorite for the Tokyo short sprint amid doubts about the fitness of Paris champ Julien Alfred.
“Right now, I’m going back home to get some good trainings in and clean up the small things,” she said. “I know that I’m in great shape and that it’s all about putting together the perfect race at the perfect time, when it matters the most, and that is at the World Championships. Now all the small meetings are done and it’s time to go back home and work on the biggest one of the season.
“The plan is definitely to go out there and take gold. I feel like I put myself in a really good spot to be a contender for that and now it’s time to have trust. This year I have put in a lot of work and that is what makes me confident, I know what I’m capable of. This is probably the first season that I have zero doubts because I know that I worked hard,” she added.
Jefferson-Wooden established a half-meter advantage over the field at the halfway point and then increased her advantage with almost every stride over the final 50 to finish almost 2m ahead of reigning world champ Sha’Carri Richardson, who had a strong final third to finish 2nd in 11.08.
Chase Jackson was equally dominant in the shot and continued her hot streak by notching up her 10th win out of 12 outings this summer. Her series was topped by a superb third-round 68-6¾ (20.90), just 2 inches shy of her June AR.
Jackson put to the sword all her likely rivals in Tokyo, winning by more than 3ft from Canada’s 2-time World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton, who was 2nd with 65-3 (19.89).
“I threw a meeting record here, that felt very good. I was pretty consistent and hope to stay that way. I hurt my finger before the U.S. Nationals and it keeps bugging me, so I’ve got to figure out what to do these next few weeks, especially for Tokyo. I hope I don’t have to let it rest but I still must get it checked.
“For Zürich, I hope that I can win the final and be consistent. Maybe some shots over 21m, we’ll see,” said Jackson, raising hopes of a landmark performance next week.
Nikki Hiltz bounced back from a disappointing 4th at the Chorzów DL the previous Saturday to snatch 1500 victory in 3:55.94, their second-fastest time ever and the No. 4 all-time clocking by an American.
Linden Hall was the only one to commit to following the pacemakers and the Australian had a lead of more than 2 seconds at the bell.
Even coming into the homestraight for the last time, it looked like Hall would prevail and the rest of the runners had misjudged their tactics, but Hiltz went through the gears and uncorked a 14.8 last 100 to get in front a few meters from the line.
Consolation for Hall after her courageous run came in the form of a 3:56.33 PR.
Hiltz commented: “It was a good and fun race today. I didn’t know there was that big of a gap. I was just racing with the athletes around me, and I knew it would be an exciting last lap as I came closer and closer to the front of the race.”
Of the pre-Tokyo weeks ahead, Hiltz added, “I am still deciding if I am going to Zürich. I will have to look at my training and see what makes most sense. It would be a good opportunity to race the world’s best athletes just before the World Championships. But I have to ask myself the question: do I want to be race-sharp or maybe get in a couple more workouts?”
Recently minted U.S. mile recordsetter Sinclaire Johnson was a faller in a three-woman pile up at the halfway point in the race but confirmed afterwards that she was only a bit shaken and got back up to finish 12th in 4:18.92.
Katie Moon got a confidence-boosting PV win and season’s best of 15-10¾ (4.85). She wriggled over on her 3rd attempt before failing 3 times at what would have been a world outdoor-leading height of 16-¾ (4.90).
She had company up to her winning bar from Great Britain’s Molly Caudery but Moon, jumping immediately after the Briton, was able to match her height-for-height as the pair were flawless all the way up to 15-8¾ (4.80) before the ’22 and ’23 WC winner snatched victory.
Anna Cockrell produced a display of smooth controlled hurdling over one lap of the track for a 53.66 victory. She was clearly the first to rise at the second barrier and was never headed but had to work down the home straight to hold off a fast-finishing Panamanian Gianna Woodruff, who took 2nd in 53.89.
Unfortunately, the meet’s two advertised women’s WR attempts unraveled early. The green wavelights in the 5000 had been calibrated to the 13:58.06 set by Beatrice Chebet at Pre. Chebet’s Kenyan compatriot Agnes Ngetich ran 14:01.29 in the Eugene race, but here the lights started to run away at the halfway point of the race.
Nevertheless, Ngetich still produced a more-than-respectable run of 14:24.99 in what was in effect a solo time trial.
The mile steeple was something of a novelty addition to the program and the wavelights had been set to 4:25 in a bid to generate a “world record.”
Winfred Yavi gamely tried to follow them and went through 800 in 2:13.25 but the Kenyan-born Bahraini runner tired in the second half of the race and crossed the line in 4:40.13.
However, it was a useful sharpener and return to racing for the reigning world and Olympic gold medalist after a month’s training ahead of what is expected to be a full-fledged 3000 steeple WR attempt in Zürich.
BRUSSELS WOMEN’S RESULTS
100(-0.2): 1. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (US) 10.76; 2. Sha’Carri Richardson (US) 11.08; 3. Daryll Neita (GB) 11.15; 4. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jam) 11.17; 5. Favour Ofili (Ngr) 11.19.
1500: 1. Nikki Hiltz (US) 3:55.94 (x, 4 A);
2. Linden Hall (Aus) 3:56.33 PR (3:08.42); 3. Nelly Chepchirchir (Ken) 3:57.35; 4. Laura Muir (GB) 3:57.63; 5. Agathe Guillemot (Fra) 3:58.29; 6. Marta Pérez (Spa) 3:59.13; 7. Esther Guerrero (Spa) 3:59.45 PR; 8. Marta Zenoni (Ita) 4:00.00; 9. Susan Ejore-Sanders (Ken) 4:00.18; 10. Heather MacLean (US) 4:00.54; 11. Axumawit Embaye (Eth) 4:09.41; 12. Sinclaire Johnson (US) 4:18.92.
Non-DL MileSt: 1. Winfred Yavi (Bhr) 4:40.13 PR; 2. Angelina Ellis (US) 4:46.74 PR; 3. Olivia Gürth (Ger) 4:51.87 PR; 4. Celestine Biwot (Ken) 4:52.10 PR; 5. Stella Rutto (Rom) 4:54.80 PR; 6. Veerle Bakker (Neth) 4:56.02 PR; 7. Wosane Asefa (Eth) 5:06.53 PR;… rabbit—Val Constien (US).
5000: 1. Agnes Ngetich (Ken) 14:24.99 (5:35.74, 8:30.74, 11:31.06); 2. Likina Amebaw (Eth) 14:31.51; 3. Aleshign Baweke (Eth) 14:31.88;
4. Josette Andrews (US) 14:33.16 (x, 6 A);
5. Marta García (Spa) 14:33.40 NR; 6. Maureen Koster (Neth) 14:33.97 PR; 7. Hirut Meshesha (Eth) 14:35.36; 8. Caroline Nyaga (Ken) 14:36.90; 9. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 14:37.19; 10. Jana Van Lent (Bel) 14:37.47 NR; 11. Weini Kelati (US) 14:37.77.
400H: 1. Anna Cockrell (US) 53.66; 2. Gianna Woodruff (Pan) 53.89; 3. Naomi Van Den Broeck (Bel) 54.12 NR.
Field Events
PV: 1. Katie Moon (US) 15-11 (4.85) (=out WL);
2. Molly Caudery (GB) 15-9 (4.80); 3. Hana Moll (US) 15-6½ (4.74); 4. Imogen Ayris (NZ) 15-2¾ (4.64) PR; 5. Amálie Švábíková (CzR) 15-2¾; 6. tie, Emily Grove (US) & Tina Šutej (Slo) 15-2¾; 8. tie, Sandi Morris (US) & Elien Vekemans (Bel) 14-10¾ (4.54); 10. Amanda Moll (US) 14-6¾ (4.44); 11. tie, Roberta Bruni (Ita) & Gabriela Leon (US) 13-11 (4.24).
TJ: 1. Leyanis Pérez (Cub) 48-6 (14.78); 2. Davisleidis Velazco (Cub) 48-3½ (14.72) PR; 3. Jasmine Moore (US) 47-2¼ (14.38); 4. Shanieka Ricketts (Jam) 46-10¾ (14.29); 5. Liadagmis Povea (Cub) 46-10¼ (14.28); 6. Thea LaFond (Dom) 46-5¼ (14.15).
SP: 1. Chase Jackson (US) 68-7 (20.90) (x, 3 A) (f, 58-5¼, 68-7, 63-4¼, p, f) (f, 17.81, 20.90, 19.31, p, f);
2. Sarah Mitton (Can) 65-3¼ (19.89) ; 3. Jessica Schilder (Neth) 64-3 (19.58); 4. Yemisi Ogunleye (Ger) 62-3¾ (18.99); 5. Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Jam) 62-1 (18.92).
