Earlier this month, the Ansin Sports activities Advanced in Miramar, Florida welcomed a few of the world’s greatest athletes for the 2025 Miramar Invitational track and field meet. The venue is a world-class facility—one in every of solely 4 Class 2 internationally licensed tracks in the US.
This 12 months’s occasion featured a packed schedule, together with the 100m, 200m, and 300m dashes; 600m run; 4x100m relay; males’s 110m hurdles; ladies’s 100m hurdles; lengthy soar; and shot put.
As anticipated, Jamaica was effectively represented, with a robust contingent able to face robust competitors from throughout the globe—athletes from the USA, Canada, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, Japan, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, the British Virgin Islands, Nice Britain, and Puerto Rico have been all in attendance.
Jamaican Stars Shone Shiny
Jamaica’s lineup included prime names like Tia and Tina Clayton, Shericka Jackson, Natasha Morrison, Briana Williams, Serena Cole, and Yohan Blake, amongst others.
Among the many standout Jamaican performances have been Rohan Watson, Rusheen McDonald, Natasha Morrison, and lengthy jumper Ackelia Smith. Robust finishes additionally got here from Briana Williams, Serena Cole, Tia Clayton, Shericka Jackson, and Yohan Blake.
Julien Alfred vs Shericka Jackson Showdown
One of many meet’s most anticipated moments was the conflict between St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson. Jackson, a four-time world champion and Olympic medallist, was making a return to top-tier competitors after lacking the Paris 2024 Olympics as a consequence of harm.
Within the 300m sprint, Jackson surged forward early with a robust begin. However Alfred stayed inside putting distance and unleashed a robust kick within the ultimate stretch to take the lead.
The end was electrical: Alfred crossed the road in 36.05 seconds, setting a brand new Saint Lucian nationwide report and rating twenty eighth on the all-time record. Jackson completed a razor-thin 0.08 seconds behind, whereas Jessika Gbai of the Ivory Coast got here third in 36.24 seconds.
Alfred’s Meteoric Rise Continues
Alfred has rapidly develop into one of many prime sprinters on the planet. Impressed by Jamaican legend Usain Bolt, she made historical past on the Paris 2024 Olympics by successful St. Lucia’s first-ever gold medal. She was additionally the primary Caribbean girl to win the distinguished NCAA Bowerman Award.
Because the Miramar Invitational, Alfred has continued to dominate. On the 2025 Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, Florida, she clocked a world-leading 21.88 seconds within the 200m—cementing her standing as a worldwide dash powerhouse.
After her 300m win in Miramar, she jogged over to greet followers draped within the St. Lucian flag, who celebrated her efficiency with loud cheers and waving banners.
What’s Subsequent: World Championships in Tokyo
Whereas Alfred might have taken this spherical, Shericka Jackson is much from accomplished. With the World Athletics Championships set for Tokyo in September, monitor followers can look ahead to one other chapter on this rising rivalry between two of the Caribbean’s quickest ladies.
