Shericka Jackson has made a big jump in the rankings since she switched to shorter sprints in the last couple of years, going from 22nd in the rankings to 2nd.
This accomplishment may come as a surprise to those who haven’t been following Jackson’s meteoric rise in recent years, but those who are familiar with her story know that she has always been a rising star in her own right, and it was only a slight shift in her trajectory that propelled her career forward.
A 400-meter career
Jackson’s track and field career began much earlier than most of her contemporary foes, but back then, Jackson’s speciality was the 400-meter sprint. As early as 2008, Jackson competed in the 2008 CARIFTA Games, where she achieved gold medals in both the 400-meter and the 4×400-meter relay. In the following year, Jackson joined the same competition again and snagged four gold medals, this time in the 200 meter, 400 meter, 4×100 meter, and 4×400 meter events.
No one knew then that this would be the beginning of a successful career for the Jamaican sprinter.
In the years that came, Jackson eventually grew to be a respectable 400-meter sprinter among her peers. In 2016, she made her Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, where she achieved bronze and silver medals in the 400 meters and 4×400 meters, respectively.
Her other notable accomplishments include another bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships and a personal best of 49.47 at the 2019 World Championships in Qatar.
Shericka Jackson shifts to shorter sprints
But in 2021, under the tutelage of new coach Stephen Francis, Jackson decided to switch gears and focus on shorter sprints. And it paid off big for Jackson. She went on to medal in bronze in the 100 meters and in the 4×100 meters at her second Olympics in Tokyo.
In 2022, she ushered in a new era and achieved a dominant performance at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, reaching the podium three times. She was second in the 100 meters and the 4×100 meters and was named the champion in the 200 meters with a time of 21.45 seconds. In the same year, she also competed in the NACAC Championships and again clinched first place in the 100 meter event with a time of 10.83 seconds.
Jackson dominates the ‘23 season
It’s no secret that Shericka Jackson has been aiming for Flo-Jo’s 200-meter world record since the start of the 2023 World Championships, but so far the record has eluded her. In Budapest, Jackson came tantalizingly close to breaking the 35-year old record, clocking a personal best of 21.41 seconds to take the lead in the event.
Despite failing to break the record, this motivation proved to be working for Jackson as she continued to sweep gold medals in the World Championships, in the Diamond League meetings in Zurich and Brussels, and finally at the Prefontaine Classic.
Jackson achieved gold medals in both the 100 and 200-meter running events at the Oregon Prefontaine Classic, beating the top-ranked 100-meter sprinter in the world, Sha’Carri Richardson.
Earlier this year at the Jamaica Track and Field Championships, Jackson also clinched first place in the 100-meter event, clocking 10.65 seconds to set a personal best and world lead.
Rises through the ranks
In just two short years, Jackson has skyrocketed up the rankings of the ‘Greatest Women Combo Sprinters’ thanks to her success in shorter sprints. The rankings are based on how many points a sprinter gets for their 100, 200, and 400-meter personal bests.
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