Bol to challenge Clayton win streak in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (CMC):

A SPICY showdown between the three women that secured a Jamaican 1-2-3 in the women’s 400 metres hurdles in the previous meet and world record-holder Femke Bol of the Netherlands will grab attention during the seventh leg of the World Athletics Diamond League series today in Sweden.

World Championships bronze medallist Rushell Clayton led her compatriots Andrenette Knight and Janieve Russell home in the 400m hurdles at the Bislett Games on Thursday in Oslo, Norway – but Bol represents a clear a present danger to break up their party.

Bol has been undefeated in the 400 hurdles since August 2022, and she will be contesting her first race of the year in her specialist event, having twice broken her own world indoor 400 flat record in winning the world indoor title in February in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Stockholm Olympic Stadium also holds fond memories for the Dutch woman, having achieved her first Diamond League win four years ago, and one year later, smashing through the 53-second barrier for the first time.

World Championships silver medallist Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands is expected to be one of the toughest rivals for Alison Dos Santos of Brazil in the men’s race.

But McMaster will have his work cut out because Dos Santos is undefeated in the 400 hurdles this year, and two years ago, the 23-year-old set the meet record of 46.80 seconds, plus he has won both of his races on the Diamond League circuit this year.

Women’s 200m clash

The women’s 200 metres will also hold great interest with world champion Shericka Jackson trying to repair her air of invincibility after her two-year unbeaten run ended when she finished fifth in her speciality on Thursday in Oslo.

American Brittany Brown, the winner of the half-lap race in Oslo, is also down to face the starter, and it will be intriguing to see how the 29-year-old Jamaican sprint queen will respond in her third Diamond League appearance for the season.

The women’s triple jump seems headed to be a Caribbean affair with world indoor champion Thea Lafond of Dominica, two-time World Championships silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts, and world indoor silver medallist, Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba leading the field; another Jamaican, Kimberley Williams, will try to cause an upset.

The Jamaican sprint duo of Natasha Morrison in the women’s race, and Ryiem Forde in the men’s race will have their hands full in the 100 dash, so too, compatriot Fedrick Dacres in the men’s discus, and Danniel Thomas-Dodd in the women’s shot put.

Morrison will need a personal best time to push Brown, Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith of the Ivory Coast, Gina Bass of Gambia, all having run under 11 secs, so too, Forde when he faces sprinters such as Japan’s Hakim Sani Brown, the runner-up on Thursday in Oslo, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, and Kyree King of the United States.

Dacres, the 2019 world silver medallist, is part of a loaded line-up that includes Oslo winner and world record-holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania, world and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl of Sweden, Olympic silver medallist Simon Petersson, Matt Denny of Australia, 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius, and Olympic bronze medallist Lukas Wiesshaidinger.

Thomas-Dodd will face two-time world champion Chase Jackson of the United States, and world indoor champion and world leader, Sarah Mitton of Canada.

Three other women with personal bests in excess of 20 metres – Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands, Maggie Ewen of the United States, and Song Jiayuan of China – are also in the line-up.