The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ANTHONIQUE Strachan got off to a slow start but managed to storm back for third place in the women’s 200 metres as the Wanda Diamond League concluded yesterday with the Prefontaine Classic.

Strachan, running as the rabbit out of lane eight ahead of her Jamaican training partner Shericka Jackson in seventh at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, clocked 22.16, just off her season and lifetime best of 21.15.

Coming off her sixth place finish at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August where she celebrated her 30th birthday, Strachan was able to surge back and made up enough ground to beat out American Twanisha Terry in lane nine for third.

"I don’t feel no way. It’s the last race of the season," Strachan said. "I’m glad it was a injury free one and it was a good one. It’s always a pleasure to be in great company."

Jackson, however, came off the bend in complete control and went on to extend her lead on the home stretch in a meet record of 21.57 to add the half-lap title to the 100m crown she claimed on Saturday in 10.70.

The 29-year-old Jackson fell short of her ultimate goal of eclipsing the late American Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record of 21.34 from September 29, 1988, but Jackson said she got to achieve something else she had on her agenda.

“Funny enough, last year one of my goals I wrote was how I wanted to get two trophies,” she said. “I didn’t get two trophies last year and I wrote that again, that I wanted two trophies this year. I got it and I’m grateful.”

The World Championships’ 100m silver medallist and 200m gold medallist became the third woman behind American Carmelita Jeter (2011) and her compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (2013) to win the 100m and 200m Diamond League titles in the same year.

Marie-Josee Ta Lou emerged as the runner-up in a season’s best of 22.10 to add to the same position she got in the 200m in 10.75. Terry, who was fifth in the 100m, followed Strachan in 22.21.

With her pair of victories, Jackson pocketed $60,000, $30,000 for each win. Ta Lou got $24,000 or $12,000 for each race as runner-up and Strachan picked up $7,000 for third. She didn’t compete in the century.

Nairn back in action/seventh

LaQuan Nairn, who rebounded from an injury that prevented him from completing his second appearance at the World Championships, was the only other Bahamian competing in the meet, finishing in seventh place in the men’s long jump.

The Commonwealth Games champion popped a leap of 23-10 ¼ 7.27m on his fifth attempt, but it wasn’t enough to get him higher in the standings. His series of jumps were 23-9 (7.24m), 19-4 ¼ (5.90m), 17-9 ¾ (5.43m) and 22-10 ¾ (6.98m). He fouled his sixth and final jump.

Nairn, 27, entered the championships with three victories among nine meets, including a Diamond League win in Lausanne. He posted a season’s best of 26-7 ¼ (8.11m) and a lifetime achievement of 26.11 ½ (8.22m). For his efforts, Nairn was awarded $1,500.

Simon Ehammer of Switzerland took the title with 26-11 ½ (8.22m) on his fourth attempt.

Jamaican Tajay Gayle got second with the same distance as Ehammer on his fourth try as well, but lost out on the countback. Yuki Hashioka of Japan was third with 26-8 ¾ (8.15m) on his sixth attempt.