Ackera Nugent shattered the national record in the 100m hurdles on Sunday, clocking an impressive lifetime best 12.28 seconds (0.5m/s) to secure an easy victory on the final day of the Jamaica Olympic trials at the National Stadium.
The 22-year-old Nugent and Danielle Williams got off to a quick start, but Nugent moved away from the two-time world champion after the third hurdle to break Britany Anderson’s previous mark of 12.31 seconds, securing her spot at next month’s Paris Olympics. Nugent’s previous best was 12.43 seconds, set in May 2023.
Anderson set the previous national record in the semifinals at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on July 24, 2022.
Nugent’s time is also a new world-leading performance, replacing the 12.31 seconds set by Cyréna Samba-Mayela of France. The time also set a new stadium record and elevated the 2021 junior world champion to the ninth-best athlete in the history of the discipline.
Williams finished second with a time of 12.53, while Janeek Brown secured third place in 12.61. Both athletes will join Budapest World Championships finalist Nugent in Paris, marking their debut at the Olympics.
Megan Tapper, the bronze medallist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, finished fourth with a time of 12.69, thus missing out on another Olympic opportunity.
Rasheed Broadbell, left, celebrates with Orlando Bennett after the men’s 110m hurdles final. (PHOTO: Marlon Reid).
The men’s 110m hurdles provided a thrilling spectacle. Commonwealth Games champion Rasheed Broadbell emerged victorious with a time of 13.18 seconds, narrowly edging out Orlando Bennett, who also clocked 13.18 seconds to take second place. Reigning Olympic champion Hansle Parchment finished third in 13.19 seconds.
The race was exceptionally close, with Tyler Mason finishing fourth in 13.22 seconds, just 0.03 seconds behind Parchment. Omar McLeod, the 2016 Rio Olympic champion, also clocked 13.22 seconds for fifth, missing the opportunity to represent Jamaica at another Olympic Games.
