Jackson trumps Fraser-Pryce

AFP

Eugene, July 23: Noah Lyles defended his world 200m title in electric fashion in a second US sprint cleansweep on Thursday, while Shericka Jackson thwarted Jamaican teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s bid for a sprint double in the women’s race.

Close on the heels of Fred Kerley leading a 1-2-3 for Team USA in the men’s 100m, Lyles made no mistake over the longer sprint, racing home in 19.31 seconds in Eugene.

It was the fourth fastest 200m ever run: only Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake have run faster.

Lyles’s teammates Kenny Bednarek and teenager Erriyon Knighton took silver and bronze in 19.77 and 19.80sec respectively, to repeated chants of “U-S-A” from home fans at Hayward Field.

There were similar fireworks in the women’s 200m on a balmy, clear night with perfect conditions for sprinting.

Jackson set a championship record of 21.45sec, the second fastest time ever run over the distance, for the first individual world title of her career. Only the late Florence Griffith-Joyner, whose 1988 world record of 21.34sec still stands, has run faster.

“I am feeling great once I came out and put on the show,” said 28-year-old Jackson.

“The fastest woman alive, the national and championships record, I cannot complain!”

Newly-crowned 100m gold medallist Fraser-Pryce took silver in 21.81sec.

But there was no Jamaican cleansweep, as there had been in the blue riband event, as defending champion Dina Asher-Smith of Britain claimed bronze in 22.02sec.

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, the third part of Jamaica’s 100m sweep, eventually came in seventh in 22.39sec.