What Shericka Jackson’s withdrawal in the 100m means for Sha’Carri Richardson

This is Deji Ogeyingbo’s feature on the withdrawal of Shericka Jackson from the 100 meters, and how it affects Sha’Carri Richardson, who is looking for her first Olympic medal. The Women’s 100 meters begins on Friday, August 2, with the semi-final and final on August 3. 

What Shericka Jackson’s withdrawal in the 100m means for Sha’Carri Richardson

We are drawing closer to deciding who the fastest woman in the world will be when the women’s 100m final takes place at the Stade De France on Saturday evening. No prizes for guessing it was a straight-up duel between the reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, and the Silver medalist Shericka Jackson.

Shericka Jackson has confirmed reports that she has withdrawn from the Olympic 100m. While she did not provide specific reasons for her decision, Jackson announced that she would focus solely on the 200m for her individual events at the Olympics.

This comes against the backdrop of speculations about her fitness after she had pulled up in her last 200m race in Hungary. How fit was she going to be heading into Paris, knowing fully well her rivals would be in top shape? The answer is out and it means a lot to the Jamaican fans. Potentially, it paves the way for Richardson to claim her first Olympic medal after she missed out of Tokyo.

If you were in Shericka’s position and cleared to run after this diagnosis, would you still attempt the double? Or would you skip the stress of the 100m rounds, hoping to jog into the 200m final and see if your hamstring can hold up for one full go?

The 200m might provide an extra week of rest. It’s baffling why she and her coaching staff chose to race in Europe pre-season if this injury was lingering. They should have rested, focused on training, and aimed to be at their best for the Games. This is a significant oversight, and it’s disappointing that such a mistake happened under Stephen Francis’s guidance in an Olympic year.

Jackson will now be replaced by Sashalee Forbes who placed 4^th at the Jamaican trials.

At this point, the odds for the likes of Julien Alfred, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, and Tia Clayton to win Silver and Bronze have gone much higher.