Jamaica trio looking to upstage Americans in 100m hurdles

ONE event that will definitely have fans on the edge of their seats at this month’s World Athletics Championships is the women’s 100-metre hurdles. This is without a doubt the most competitive event on the schedule and predicting the medal winners is nearly impossible.

Jamaica will be well represented with defending champion Danielle Williams, Diamond League winner Ackera Nugent, along with Megan Tapper and Amoi Brown. Nugent, Williams, and Tapper are all genuine medal contenders.

This is an event where any of the eight finalists can win. Nugent is Jamaica’s best hope. She is the fastest Jamaican this season with 12.30 seconds, a time she has clocked twice, including her Diamond League victory in Zurich where she still won easily despite hitting the final barrier. After finishing fifth in Budapest two years ago and her disappointment at the Paris Olympics, where she failed to finish, Nugent will be highly motivated. With her strong showing in Zurich, she seems primed for something special.

Williams can never be counted out. Twice as an underdog, she shocked the world with her World Championship titles in 2015 and 2023. She also claimed bronze in Doha in 2019. Big occasions bring out her best. On August 16 she clocked a personal best 12.31 in Poland, proving she is peaking at the right time. Williams has shown before that she doesn’t need to run fast times before major championships to deliver, and she could easily surprise once again.

National champion Tapper started strong with a 12.34 win at the Monaco Diamond League but has struggled since. She will be hoping to regain top form. Brown, meanwhile, will aim to better her season’s best of 12.67 set at the National Championships.

The international field is loaded. Olympic champion Masai Russell of the United States leads the world this year with 12.17, set in May. She also won the US Championships in 12.22 and at the Silesia Diamond League in 12.19. Her consistency makes her the favourite.

World number two Grace Stark of the US has a season’s best of 12.21. Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, the world record holder and Eugene World champion, has clocked 12.24. Also in the mix is the vastly improved Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, who looked sharp with 12.28 at Silesia.

This promises to be the race of the championships. Russell has the edge, but in such a fiercely contested event, any of the eight finalists could strike gold.