High jumpers set to soar in Stockholm as Jackson looks to stoke the fire

Ahead of tomorrow’s tenth BAUHAUS-galan Diamond League in Stockholm the top track and field stars gathered at the athlete hotel in the city to address the media.  The event, which is almost sold-out, forms part of a ‘Super Weekend’ of running in Stockholm with the marathon taking place on Saturday afternoon with 23000 runners finishing in the Olympic Stadium. 

There will be 21 Swedish athletes in the DL meeting which is a record for the country illustrating the good place Swedish track and field is in just now.

World 200m champion, Sherika Jackson suffered her first 200m defeat in two years with a fifth place finish in Oslo two days ago but the 29-year-old Jamaican remains in confident mood ahead of her half-lap test in Stockholm: 

“I’ve been hurt but I trust my coach and myself, and I know training is going well,” the world 100m silver medalist revealed. 

“I’m always positive - I have an amazing group around me to help me stay that way. I hope for better weather and I’m definitely hoping for a better performance tomorrow - I don’t have a target time set, I just want to execute well and I know a season’s best is possible.”

The 200m winner in the 2021 edition, Olympic 100m bronze medalist Jackson continued: 
“I would say it’s been an ok year so far - I’ve not run my best 200m yet but I’ve been working hard, I just need to put it together before the Jamaican trials. 

“I have a couple weeks left then I hope that goes well and I’ll take it from there. Last year, I ran a lot but this season, I’ve only run two races so far so there’s a lot more to come” 

 High jump world champion, Yaroslava Mahuchikh will launch her outdoor season tomorrow following a successful indoor campaign that saw her take silver at the World Championships in Glasgow in March. 

With good weather forecast she will be hoping to jump somewhere close to her PB of 2.06m from back in 2021.  

The 22-year-old from Ukraine said, “I am looking forward to starting the outdoor season – obviously with it being Olympic year. It is an important run up to Paris.  I will enjoy the atmosphere in Stockholm as I build for Rome.  

She revealed where her focus tomorrow will be: “My run-up has changed a little so I will see how that works tomorrow.  I started my season a bit later to work with my new run-up and concentrate on training and mental preparation.”

Fellow high jumper and Olympic silver medalist, Nicola Olyslagers from Australia started 2024 in style with victory in Glasgow after equalling her PB of 2.03m in Australia in January.  She followed up with a 2.01m jump outdoors to secure the Australian championships in Adelaide in April.  

The 27-year-old, known for her scribbles after every jump, said “I am excited for the international season to begin; training has been going well.  I now have four months away from home with competitions throughout Europe so it will be difficult for me but I trust my preparation in Australia.

She continued, “I have good memories of Stockholm with a PB here before Tokyo – on the old track so hopefully even more tomorrow on the new faster track. I hope to improve my technique tomorrow; I need lots of exposure to the higher heights to really see where I am at.  I finished last season with a PB and the faster run-ups have meant a lot of work on speed and, even, some gymnastics.  I have also worked on thinking quicker during competition. Europe is the best place to test my craft.”

Australian Eleanor Patterson and Ukraine’s Iryna Geraschchenko and Yuliia Levchnko will ensure a very competitive field for tomorrow’s high jump.  

Carol Austin and Nicola Sutton for the BAUHAUS-galan media team