Jefferson-Wooden cements Tokyo sprint favourite status with Brussels win / Photo: JOHN THYS - AFP
Jefferson-Wooden cements Tokyo sprint favourite status with Brussels win
US sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden underlined her world 100m title credentials at Friday's Diamond League meet in Brussels with a dominant victory over a stacked field, but Agnes Jebet Ngetich fell short in her world record bid in the 5,000m.
The 24-year-old American will head to the September 13-21 world championships in Tokyo as firm favourite for a potential sprint double after she clocked 10.76 seconds for victory in the Belgian capital.
She left a loaded field trailing in her wake. World champion and Olympic silver medallist Sha'Carri Richardson took second in a distant 11.08sec, with Briton Daryll Neita in third, just ahead of Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (11.17).
"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 in Tokyo," said a confident-sounding Jefferson-Wooden.
"So 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."
- Solo run -
Ngetich was left making a long, solo run in the 5,000m at the King Baudouin Stadium after the pacemakers dropped out and none of the field could cope with her continued high pace.
But the Kenyan flagged to finish in 14:24.99, well off teammate Beatrice Chebet's world record of 13:58.06.
"Today's race was not bad," said Ngetich. "I am happy with the win but I wanted to run faster.
"I really wanted to improve my personal best, but today I had to push alone and it was hard. The next thing now is to focus on the world championships.
"I am doubling the 5,000m and 10,000m and I'm really ambitious. I want to make at least one podium, that is the most important thing. To get a medal at the highest stage in the world."
Bahrain's Winfred Yavi, Olympic champion in the 3,000m steeplechase, set a world best of 4:40.13 in the rarely-run one mile steeplechase at the 14th Diamond League meeting of the season.
There remains just the August 27/28 finals in Zurich before the elite of track and field head to the Tokyo worlds.
Sha'Carri Richardson's partner Christian Coleman had to be content with fourth in 20.42sec in the 200m, Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic triumphing in 20.16.
American Jacory Patterson claimed the men's 400m in 44.05sec ahead of teammate Vernon Norwood and Britain's Charlie Dobson.
American Chase Jackson landed 20.90m to better Valerie Adams' 11-year meet record in the women's shot put and there was a first ever Diamond League win for Jamaican Ralford Mullings in the men's discus, Lithuania's world record holder Mykolas Alekna finishing second to ensure a place at next week's Zurich finals.
"Now I'm going to keep on training and hopefully I'll do better during the final," said Alekna.
"The hard training sessions are almost over, I still do some now and then. But I feel I'm getting faster and more explosive. So I'm almost ready for Tokyo."
In a series of non-Diamond League events, Jamaican world champion Antonio Watson won a second 400m in 44.89sec, while Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala -- whose 9.77sec in 2021 put him 10th on the all-time world list -- could only finish seventh (10.49) in a 100m won by South African Gift Leotlela in 10.13sec.
Q.Panagiotou--AN-GR
