Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson withdraws from 100m race at Paris 2024 Olympics

Shericka Jackson of Jamaica will not run in the 100 metres when Olympic track events start on Friday, saying that the injury she suffered at a tune-up race earlier this month played a part in the decision.

Jackson said on Wednesday she will still run in her better race, the 200 metres, where she is the only woman other than the world-record holder, the late Florence Griffith Joyner, to finish in under 21.5 seconds.

The Olympic track meet starts on Friday, highlighted by the opening round for the women’s 100, where Jackson had been listed as the second favourite behind world champion Sha’Carri Richardson.

Jackson’s announcement does come in the wake of her pulling up with an apparent injury late in a race in Hungary three weeks ago.

The Jamaican was leading the race entering the home straight before abruptly slowing down, grimacing and putting her head in her hands as she eventually walked across the finish line.

“It was a combination of things,” Jackson said. “I got hurt, and me and my coach felt like it was a good decision to only run one event.”

Jackson won national titles at both distances earlier this year and was expected to be part of a typically strong pool of Jamaican sprinters.

Now, she joins another Jamaican, two-time defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, on the sidelines. Another Jamaican, 37-year-old Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, is in the mix in her fifth and final Olympics; Fraser-Pryce won the 100 in 2008 and 2012.

Earlier this week, Jackson’s coach, Stephen Francis, told the Jamaica Gleaner website this week that Jackson “appears OK to me”.

Jackson, however, described the decision to pull out as coming from both herself and Francis.

The 30-year-old took bronze in the 100 at Tokyo and won a silver medal behind Fraser-Pryce at the world championships in 2022. She has won the last two world titles at 200 meters.

The opening round for the 200m is due on Sunday, with the semifinals a day later and the final on Tuesday.

World 200M Champion Shericka Jackson 🇯🇲 withdraws from the Women’s 100M competition to focus on the 200M. Shericka’s replacement in the 100M will be Shashalee Forbes 🇯🇲. We wish you all the best! 🖤💚💛

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— Team Jamaica (@TeamJA876) July 31, 2024