BUDAPEST (AFP) – Shericka Jackson produced the second fastest women’s 200m time in history to destroy a top-class field and retain her world title in Budapest on Friday, Aug. 25.
The 29-year-old Jamaican’s victory was never in doubt as she ran a superb bend to enter the straight with a clear lead and finished in a stunning 21.41sec.
USA’s Olympic bronze medalist Gabby Thomas took silver in 21.81sec while her compatriot Sha’Carri Richardson ran a personal best of 21.92sec to add a bronze medal to the gold she impressively won in the 100m.
It was sweet revenge for Jackson after she had to settle for silver behind Richardson in the 100m.
Her time was just seven hundredths of a second slower than the world record set by the late Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988, suggesting she could break the mark one day.
She looked surprised when informed she was the first Jamaican to defend the 200m title since Merlene Ottey, who followed up her win in 1993 with gold two years later.
Griffith-Joyner’s record has long been clouded by suspicions it was fueled by doping but Jackson said she would not cast aspersions.
The Jamaican, who moved up from the 400m in 2021 after winning Olympic and world bronze, burst from her blocks and swallowed up both Thomas and Richardson outside her.
Thomas could make no impression as they powered down the straight while Richardson rallied slightly to pass Julien Alfred.
“My goal was to end up in the final of both events so doing that was already mission accomplished for me,” said 23-year-old Richardson, who is the first American woman since Carmelita Jeter in the 2011 championships, in Daegu, to win world medals in both sprints.
Thomas admitted she was stunned when she saw her race and Jackson’s stellar time on the big screen.
Thomas said she still hoped to run in both the 4x100m relay final on Saturday and then the 4x400m relay on Sunday.
The Harvard graduate said it was “an amazing feeling” to have come back and won a medal after missing last year’s worlds due to a hamstring injury.
Britain’s 2019 champion Dina Asher-Smith could only finish seventh with Ivory Coast’s Ta Lou was eighth.
It extends the USA women’s 200m title drought that dates back to Alysson Felix’s third successive title in Berlin in 2009.
Jackson and Richardson will clash for a third time at these championships in Saturday’s 4x100m relay.
