KINGSTON, Jamaica — With one emphatic hop-step-jump in round five, Shanieka Ricketts turned a tense contest into a formality, stretching out to 14.52 m (–0.3 m/s) and sealing her seventh straight national triple-jump crown at the JAAA Senior Championships on Saturday night.
Ricketts spent the opening exchanges chasing Ackelia Smith, whose first-round 14.44 m (+1.3 m/s) momentarily sent ripples through the stadium. Smith—already the long-jump champion from Thursday—opted to shut things down after two attempts, banking on that early season’s best. The gamble nearly paid off until Ricketts, visibly annoyed by the deficit, tightened her approach in round five and sailed clear of danger.
Veteran Kimberly Williams, 36, displayed trademark grit to register 13.80 m (–2.5 m/s) for third—her best effort of 2025 and a timely reminder she remains a factor in an event she once dominated.
The victory pushes Ricketts’ unbeaten run at the Jamaican championships to seven years, an era of consistency matched by few in the sport. With Olympic qualification already secure and Paris looming, Saturday’s comeback served notice that the national record-holder still owns the runway—and any challengers will need more than a lightning opener to dethrone her.
