LONDON (18 July) — USA’s Cierra Jackson saved her best for last — and made history doing it as she stunned Olympic champion Valarie Sion in London on Saturday (18).
The 23-year-old launched a 71.72m throw on her final attempt at the 2026 Wanda Diamond League meet in London, breaking the previous meeting and Diamond League records of 69.94m and 71.38m, set by Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
“I text my coach before and he said to get the crowd clapping on the last throw. It always makes me so nervous to do the clap,” Jackson said in her post-event interview.
“I was super nervous going into that throw. I couldn’t feel my hands, my stomach was hurting, I just took a deep breath and threw and I watched it fly. My stomach started hurting immediately. I have never felt that feeling before. I was like oh my god, and then I saw the mark, and I could not breathe,” noted the former Fresno State athlete.
Jackson, the 2025 NCAA champion, came in with a personal best of 67.82m. She opened with a modest 56.99m in round one, then showed she meant business with a 67.07m throw in round two.
But it was her sixth-round heave that sealed the win — and improved the records. She was well received by her rivals, who congratulated her in her shared moments of sentiment.
“My friends were hugging me and were so excited. I was shocked, I still am shocked. I am going to call my mum,” the American added.
The victory came over compatriot Valarie Sion, the two-time Olympic champion and 2025 world champion, who led through the middle rounds with marks of 67.65m and 68.39m. Jackson’s final throw leapfrogged her for the title.
Jorinde van Klinken of the Netherlands took third at 67.99m. Sweden’s Vanessa Kamga, a world and Olympic finalist, was fourth with a season best of 65.30m. Dutch NCAA champion Alida van Daalen rounded out the top five at 64.22m.
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Meanwhile, NCAA champion and world record holder Ja’Kobe Tharp of the USA broke another Aries Merritt record after he clocked 12.89 to claim his first Diamond League win and set a new meeting record. The world record holder had to work hard in the first half of the race, but the 20-year-old found another gear to beat Cuba’s Kendry Menéndez, who posted a personal best of 13.01 in second.
