Why Did Shericka Jackson Pull Out of the Olympics Race?
Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 200-m race on Sunday and won’t race for an individual medal at the Paris Summer Olympics. The two-time reigning 200 m world champion’s withdrawal comes days after she pulled out of the 100 m to focus on the 200 m.
A favorite to win the race, Jackson had assured the public after her withdrawal from the 100 m—the event for which Jackson won a bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics—that she was still in “good shape,” but was trying to compete “at [her] best” for the 200 m. Jackson was working with hamstring health issues coming into the Olympics.
“It’s a combination of a lot of stuff,” Jackson told Olympics.com on Wednesday after she withdrew from the 100 m, “I just [want] to compete at my best, as everybody is here to win.”
It’s unclear if Jackson’s hamstring issue is the reason behind her withdrawal from Sunday’s race.
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Jackson, 30, is still eligible to compete in the women’s 4×100 relay on Thursday, as is other Jamaica track star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
TIME has reached out to Jackson for comment regarding her withdrawal from the 200-m race and if she intends on competing in the relay.
Fraser-Pryce, two-time Olympic 100 m gold medal winner, also withdrew from the individual 100 m, just moments before the semi-final race on Saturday. Team USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson, who was favorite to win gold, ended the race with a silver medal, and St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred finished with gold—a historic win, marking her country’s first ever medal.
“I’m still trying to think of what just happened,” Alfred said after the big race in Stade de France. “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
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With Jackson out of the 200-m race, the floor has opened up for Alfred to potentially garner another medal for her country, and for Team USA’s Gabby Thomas, who advanced easily to the 200 m finals with a time of 22.20.
In the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Team Jamaica won all nine of their medals in track events: four gold, one silver, and four bronze. With both Fraser-Pryce and Jackson’s withdrawals from the individual races—on top of gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah’s withdrawal from Paris in June—Team Jamaica, usually dominant on the track, has been dealt some heavy blows.
