CHORZÓW, POLAND, August 25 — After blazing her 12.28 at the Jamaican Championships (a world leader for not quite 3 hours before Masai Russell hurdled 12.25 at the OT), Ackera Nugent aimed for the Paris podium. The Olympics, however, were only a disappointment for the former NCAA champ for both Baylor and Arkansas; she crashed in the final and failed to finish.
In her mission to redeem herself, she nailed this one, blasting a 12.30 in the heats to secure lane 5 in a race that included six more of the Paris finalists including gold winner Russell and silver medalist Cyrena Samba-Mayela. In the final, Nugent led from the start and held off the close of Olympic 5th-placer Grace Stark to claim her first Diamond League win in 12.29 into a faint 0.5 breeze.
Stark hit 12.37, just ahead of Jamaican Danielle Williams (12.38), with Russell (12.40), Alaysha Johnson (12.42) and Samba-Mayela (12.47) next. The results went deep, with best-ever marks for 7th (Nadine Visser 12.49) and 8th (Keni Harrison 12.52).
“I’m just getting used to running on the circuit,” said Nugent. “Coming here to compete against all the best in the world, on one hand I did not expect to win, on the other, I knew I just have to execute well and do everything that is under my control.”
Femke Bol is also trying to hurdle her way back from the race that disappointed her in Paris, the 400H final where she finished with a bronze. Here she faced silver medalist Anna Cockrell as well as a strong Jamaican trio led by Olympic 5th-placer Rushell Clayton.
After a well-paced first 300, Bol came off the final turn in the lead, with Cockrell in hot pursuit. But the American could draw no closer, and Bol sped to a 52.13, 0.02 faster than she ran in Paris. Cockrell held on for a 52.88, ahead of Clayton’s 53.11 and Shianna Salmon (53.15 in 4th).
“I would have liked to have run a 51 today,” Bol said, “but a win is a win.”
Marileidy Paulino won the seventh final of her undefeated 400 season, this one with a no-drama 48.66, the No. 2 time of her career. That more than held off Salwa Eid Naser’s 49.23. Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek closed well to pass fast-starting Rhasidat Adeleke for 3rd, 49.95–50.00, with Alexis Holmes 5th in 50.01.
“I worked really hard for the Olympic Games,” said Paulino, “but I still want to win every race until the end of the…
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