Melissa Jefferson-Wooden blazed to a dominant win in the 100m and Chase Jackson broke the meeting record in the shot put as they issued further warnings to their rivals at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, this season\u2019s penultimate Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Brussels on Friday (22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Competition was fierce in many events, with just three weeks to go to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 and with the Brussels meeting being the last opportunity for athletes to bank points in the Diamond League ahead of the series finale in Zurich next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Jefferson-Wooden and Jackson were both dominant winners and they will start in Zurich and Tokyo as the athletes to beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jefferson-Wooden, who claimed Olympic bronze in Paris last year, remains undefeated in the 100m this year. While her winning time of 10.76 (-0.2m\/s) in Brussels was the fifth-fastest of her career \u2013 all achieved this season \u2013 it was her winning margin that turned heads as she finished 0.32 clear of world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, runner-up in 11.08, while Daryll Neita was third in 11.15 and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce fourth in 11.17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know that I\u2019m in great shape and that it\u2019s all about putting together the perfect race at the perfect time, when it matters the most, and that is at the World Championships in Tokyo,\u201d said Jefferson-Wooden, who set her PB and world lead of 10.65 at the US Championships to move to joint fifth on the world all-time list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 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\u2019s time to have trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bahrain\u2019s Olympic and world 3000m steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi was out to make history at the Brussels meeting, as she contested the mile steeplechase. The discipline had never been contested at such a level before, and she solo ran her way to a 4:40.13 victory, winning by more than six seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US shot putter Chase Jackson made another big statement in Brussels, throwing a meeting record of 20.90m in the third round \u2013 the third-farthest throw of her career that saw her win by more than a metre. Only Jackson \u2013 who set a US record of 20.95m in June \u2013 has thrown farther this year. The previous meeting record had stood since 2014, when Valerie Adams threw 20.59m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a stacked clash, two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton threw 19.89m for the runner-up spot and Jessica Schilder was third with 19.58m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was another strong line-up in the men\u2019s discus and it was Jamaica\u2019s NCAA champion Ralford Mullings who took top spot. Missing the meeting record by just 30cm, he threw 69.66m in the final round after 69.41m in the fourth to win ahead of world record-holder Mykolas Alekna (68.82m) and 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh (67.13m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
World leader Julian Weber also impressed in the javelin, throwing 89.65m to win by more than three metres, while world champion Katie Moon cleared a season\u2019s best of 4.85m to win the pole vault ahead of 2024 world indoor champion Molly Caudery (4.80m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like Jefferson-Wooden in the 100m, world indoor bronze medallist Jacory Patterson scotched to a clear win in the 400m. Blasting away off the final bend, he was untroubled as he reached the finish line in 44.05 as Vernon Norwood was second in 44.62.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The men\u2019s 200m was won by Dominican Republic\u2019s Olympic fifth-place finisher Alexander Ogando in 20.16 (-0.3m\/s) as he pipped Robert Gregory by 0.03.<\/p>\n\n\n\n