Early Morning Disappointment: Shericka Jackson Withdraws from Women’s 200m Heats

Fans who woke up early on Sunday to watch the first round heats of the women’s 200m were hit hard by the unexpected announcement that pre-race favourite Shericka Jackson would not be participating.

The discouraging update arrived less than a day after the news that sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce had withdrawn from the women’s 100m semifinals, reportedly due to injury.

With Jackson’s withdrawal, it means that the three biggest names in Jamaican sprinting—and three of the most dominant in the world over the past decade—are either absent from Paris, as is the case with defending 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, barely participated (Fraser-Pryce only ran a first round heat in the 100m), or, like Jackson, are in Paris but unable to compete.

Jackson is the reigning World Champion in the 200m, having secured the title in 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, and again in Budapest in 2023, where she clocked a remarkable 21.41 seconds, the second fastest time ever recorded in the event behind Florence Griffith Joyner.

Having sustained a calf injury in an Olympic warm-up race in early July, initially deemed minor by her team, it was anticipated she would be fit for the Games.

However, concerns arose recently when it was confirmed she would not compete in the 100m, where she boasts a personal best of 10.65 seconds.

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