A sprint double might be on the books for Shericka Jackson, not that anyone’s surprised. After securing her first spot for the Paris Olympics in the 100m race, Jackson returned to the track two days later to qualify for her second event by winning the women’s 200m race at the Jamaican Team Trials in Kingston. However, even she knows she faces a difficult challenge in the French capital.

In a post on X by The Inside Lane’s Lillz, the 29-year-old was heard talking about the age factor that could take a toll on her performance on the biggest stage. While she confessed to being excited for Paris, she also noted how reaching 30 isn’t helping her out. “Maybe I run one or two races but I don’t think I’ll be competing a lot and I think it’s helping my body I’m getting old,” said Jackson when the interviewer asked her about her training plans once she reached Paris.

However, despite the adversities, the four-time World Championships gold medalist will have to pull up her socks fast, considering she will be facing fierce competition from USA’s athletes, especially Sha’Carri Richardson. The reigning 100m world champ and the Jamaican have met on several occasions, and their rivalry has become one of the most polarizing things in the track community in recent years.

At last year’s World Championships, Richardson beat Shericka to win the 100m race, while the latter surpassed her younger opponent to bag the gold in the 200m event. However, this year, Shericka does seem to be feeling age catching up to her as none of her winning runs have come anywhere close to her personal bests in either of the 100 or 200 sprints in Kingston.

But her winning mentality isn’t one to back out when a good challenge comes its way.

Shericka Jackson isn’t afraid of a little hustle

The semifinal race of the women’s 100m race at the Jamaican trials itself was a major pothole on Shericka’s journey to Paris. 19-year-old Tia Clayton pulled off an incredible victory over the country’s two top veterans of the sport including Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Her triumph made many raise their eyebrows with skepticism, debating whether Shericka was losing her edge. However, the Olympic gold medalist underscored her worth only hours later at the final race of the event where she reclaimed her top spot to punch her first ticket to the European metropolitan.

The wins have justifiably injected some extra confidence into the national celebrity. “Paris, here I come,” Jackson said in the interview, as she stated her pride in her own ability to stay mentally strong despite the adversities that came her way. Now, with only weeks to the Paris Games, it remains to be seen if she can once again produce the blistering speed on the tracks that Jamaican stars have come to become synonymous with over the years.