Birmingham's industrial past is dotted with canals, popularized by the TV series 'Peaky Blinders', whose banks appeal to the city's wild geese and runners.

Quietly, like the impassible waters of these endless river routes, the Jamaican Hansle Parchment is building one of the finest records in the 110m hurdles.

Already Olympic bronze medalist ten years ago in London, then world silver medalist in 2015 in Beijing, the hurdler won the supreme title in Tokyo last summer, ahead of American favorite Grant Holloway.

Jamaican Hansle Parchment wins the 110m hurdles at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting, May 21, 2022 Paul ELLIS AFP

At 31, this imposing size (1.96 m, 90 kg) seems to be at its zenith.

On Saturday, he dominated the Birmingham meeting ahead of his compatriot 2016 Olympic champion Omar McLeod.

French Olympic finalist Aurel Manga took 6th place in 13 sec 61.

"I don't feel any more pressure because I'm an Olympic champion, explained Parchment in his deep voice and posed in the mixed zone. I'm happy to achieve the best time of the season but it's still early, it's not necessarily a reliable indicator.

"My goal is always to reach the top and stay there, I would like to be able to do it, I still have work to do. To be world champion this summer in Eugene (Oregon, July 15-24) I will have to be at my best, I think if that's the case that's enough."

Crab hunting

Little media, the Jamaican grew up in the parish of Saint-Thomas, in the village of Port Morant in the far east of the Caribbean island where athletics is king.

"I was always running around. It's a place with dense vegetation, near the sea, I was often on the beach fishing, hunting crabs, climbing trees to eat fruit, that was the life of the countryside, nature", explained to AFP on Friday the one who came to athletics at 14, spotted in a 100m disputed against some of the best young athletes in his region.

Canadian Aaron Brown winner of the 100m at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting, May 21, 2022 Paul ELLIS AFP

In addition to Parchment, several other best performances of the season delighted the 16,000 or so spectators at Alexander Stadium, refurbished to host the Commonwealth Games this summer, including Germany's Malaika Mihambo's 7.09m at the length.

On the discus, the young Slovak Kristjan Ceh (23), 5th in the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, created a surprise with a huge throw at 71.27 m, becoming the 10th best performer of all time.

The two 100 m proved to be disappointing from a chronometric point of view.

The local Dina Asher-Smith still delighted the crowd with a prestigious victory on the wire against the Jamaican Olympic bronze medalist Shericka Jackson (11 sec 11 against 11 sec 12, wind -0.1 m/s) .

Britain's Dina Asher-Smith (d) wins the 100m at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting ahead of Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, May 21, 2022 Paul ELLIS AFP

Canadian Aaron Brown dominated the men's straight in 10 sec 13 (-0.2 m/s wind), his compatriot Andre De Grasse finishing only 4th in 10 sec 24. The fastest man of the season last, the American Trayvon Bromell, was disqualified for a false start.

© 2022 AFP