Nugent takes post Paris Olympics explosive runs in the 100m hurdles to Zagreb
After posting an impressive and fastest 100m hurdles time (12.24) since Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan ran 12.12 to break the world record in 2022, Ackera Nugent will be the cynosure of all eyes Sunday at the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića 2024, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in Zagreb, Croatia.
The 22-year-old Jamaican is returning to the track eight days after she ran 12.24 to set a world lead on her way to winning at the Golden Gala Diamond League meeting in Rome.
Nugent, who did not finish in the final at the Paris 2024 Olympics after coming to the Games as the second fastest in the world with the 12.28 she ran to win the Jamaican Olympic trials in June, was not at the Weltklasse in Zurich on Thursday to face dethroned Olympic champion, Jasmine Camcho-Quinn who won the race.
All eyes will however be on the Jamaican who has dipped inside 12.30 twice and 12.40 twice since her forgettable trip to the Olympics.
Nugent is however not promising anything if what she said after winning in Rome could be taken as her view ahead of the race in Zagreb where one of the targets will be Camacho-Quinn’s meeting record of 12.47.
The Jamaican has set two meeting records post Olympics. She first obliterated Amusan’s 12.34 meeting record in Silesia with a 12.29 performance and set a new time at the Golden Gala with her world leading time.
‘For the next races, I do not promise anything because it will depend on the day and the weather also,’ said Nugent after winning in Rome but gave a hint she could still run faster.
‘I am just in a really good shape. I was injured before, and this is a new experience for me. I am still so young. I still got to show up. My emotions? I guess they have not kicked in yet because I am still so full of adrenaline,’ she also told reporters after the race in Rome.
Olympics silver medalist, Cyrena Samba-Mayela, former world record holder, Kendra Harrison and 2022 World Athletics Championships’ silver medal winner, Britany Anderson will run in the same semifinal heat with Nugent.
