Wed | Sep 17, 2025

Ricketts, Smith comfortably into triple jump final

Published:Tuesday | September 16, 2025 | 9:53 AMKeith McGhie/Contributor
Shanieka Ricketts in action during the qualification round of the women's triple jump at the World Athletics Championships inside the Japan National Stadium earlier today.
Gladstone Taylor
Shanieka Ricketts in action during the qualification round of the women's triple jump at the World Athletics Championships inside the Japan National Stadium earlier today.

Shanieka Ricketts and Ackelia Smith comfortably made it through women's triple jump qualifying, despite neither managing the 14.35 metres required for automatic progression.

As three South Americans and Dominica’s Olympic Champion Thea LaFond swept over the required standard, Ricketts claimed the next place with a leap of 14.30, while Smith was further back but comfortably eighth out of 12 qualifiers with an opening jump of 14.21.

Ricketts, who took the silver medal behind LaFond in Paris, fouled with her first effort but managed her best mark with the second, while Smith opened with her furthest distance and followed it up with two more fine jumps, showing excellent consistency.

It will be Ricketts’ seventh successive World Championship final - a run dating back to Beijing in 2015.

World leader Leyanis Perez Hernandez from Cuba, confirmed her status as favourite for Gold with an opening leap of 14.66.

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