Jamaica has long been poised as the cradle of track and field civilization. Featuring apex predators like Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Shericka Jackson and many more is a laurel that would make any country’s chest swell with pride. Similarly, their most trusted asset, Shericka Jackson, finally steps onto the track for her third race of the month and the season at the 2024 Oslo Diamond League on May 30th. Following her triumphant win in the 200m at the fourth round of the Diamond League in Marrakech, Jackson faced a different outcome this time. Competing without her usual rival, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jackson was defeated by Brittany Brown, the silver medalist at the 2019 World Championships. Brown, running from lane 8, secured victory in the 200m event with a time of 22.32 seconds.

Ivorian three-time African champion Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith finished second with a time of 22.42 seconds. Great Britain’s Olympian Daryll Neita, who won the 200m at the Suzhou Diamond League, took third place with 22.50 seconds. Anavia Battle, who represented Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, came in fourth with 22.84 seconds, while Shericka Jackson finished fifth with a time of 22.97 seconds.

Brittany Brown, judging by her past trajectory, seems to be well on her crest when it comes to the 200m. She is the winner of a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships. 2019 was the pinnacle for her though, as at the World Championships there, she secured a whopping 22.22, which is a PB for her. Post defeating Shericka Jackson, she even bemoaned with utmost verve and being able to take the 200 m in her stride –“Someone asked me like, ‘Does this race give you confidence?’ I was like, no I already have confidence going in. You know, the 200m, I love this event.”

Having gained some iota of expertise in the 100m as well, she proclaimed that-“I dibble-dabbled the 100m last year and that was so hard. I still made the team but that was so hard. This is something I love to do and no one can make me feel less confident about that… it cements what I already knew.” While never having competed in an Olympic cycle ever, this year seems to be the de facto year which will turn the tides in her favor. She had spoken about her forte –‘I’m just evolving as a sprinter. Seeing myself how I can prepare and attack races like I never thought I could actually do.” With Brittany Brown seeking safe passage courtesy of the Oslo magic she weaved, what’s next for the inimitable Shericka Jackson from good old Jamaica?

On June 2, Shericka Jackson will be back in action for the Stockholm Diamond League, where she will face the same trio of Americans she raced in Oslo, along with Great Britain’s Amy Hunt and Maboundou again. The 29-year-old, who won three bronze medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics shattered her own championship record at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, blazing through the 200m with a stunning 21.41 seconds, the second-fastest time in history behind only Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 21.34. However, Sha’Carri Richardson is no ordinary competitor.

While Jackson was still able to hold her own, this might be but a miniscule spot of bother for fans considering the fact that the Olympics are closing in and evert athlete needs to be on the top of their game. Let us ascertain all of her previous 200m outings to get a fair bit of comparison as to whether she can hold a candle to the feisty Sha’Carri Richardson herself. The Jamaican wunderkind has clinched multiple laurels. In August 2023, she ran a whopping 21.41 in the 200m in Budapest 2023, 21.45 in Eugene 2022 and a cerebral 21.55 in the Jamaican Championships. With her credentials in the 200m still intact, we’d be remiss if we didn’t consider the case of modern day Flo-Jo, now, wouldn’t we?

Sha’Carri Richardson’s stellar season and riveting rivalries

Last year in Budapest, Richardson dominated many of her 2023 races, earning a nomination for the 2024 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year. Notably, she outpaced Jackson in the 100m finals at the World Championships with a record time of 10.65 seconds, as Jackson took silver with 10.72 seconds and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed bronze with 10.77 seconds. But this didn’t end here only.

In a record-breaking finale at the World Championships, the American relay team composed of Tamari Davis, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas, and Sha’Carri Richardson clinched gold with the fastest time ever in the event, clocking 41.03 seconds. They were closely followed by the Jamaican squad, consisting of Natasha Morrison, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shashalee Forbes, and Shericka Jackson, who captured silver with a time of 41.21 seconds, while the British team of Asha Philip, Imani Lansiquot, Bianca Williams, and Daryll Neita secured bronze in 41.97 seconds.

However, Jackson’s concluded her 2023 season in style at the Prefontaine Classic, securing a Diamond League double by winning the 100m in 10.70 seconds and the 200m in 21.57 seconds. It will surely be captivating to see how Jackson and Richardson compete in future events, particularly with the stakes so high and records within reach.