For Sha’Carri Richardson, there is all but one person who stands on her way to the coveted Olympic gold. Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson has qualified in both the women’s 100m and 200m sprints for the Paris Games, and she has to be the shoulder that the yellow, green, and golden flag can rely on. With Elaine Thompson-Herah out of this year’s Games, Jackson could become the name Jamaica rallies behind, but even that could be facing a pothole.

At last month’s Jamaican Team Trials, Shericka wowed the world with her impressive speeds in Kingston, as she edged past global track superstars like Selly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to win both the shorter and longer distance races. While Jackson is undoubtedly one of the favorites to win an Olympic gold at the French capital, a recent fragment of news could make her fans anxious.

Sha’Carri Richardson’s biggest foe takes a tumble

At the ongoing Gyulai István Memorial track meet in Hungary, Jackson was among the sprinters who lined up for the women’s 200m race and was the obvious favorite to win the event. However, a post on X by Track & Field Gazette from hours ago today will be raising several concerns ahead of the rumble in Paris. Captioned, “A scare before Paris??” the post noted how the reigning 200m women’s world champ pulled up just a few strides before the finishing line and limped off the track.

Before the injury reared its ugly teeth, Jackson was leading the pack and was on her way to win another 200m race with seemingly not a sweat to break. And yet, the four-time world champion shut off completely during the final stretch of the race. While her actions just before the 2024 Olympics are naturally causing panic among her fans and followers, Troy Evans, Jackson’s physio assures everyone that it isn’t Code Red just yet.

In an Instagram post, that went online after Shericka’s incident in Hungary, Evans showed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist already training to recover from her troubles. “cramp in the hamstring, she will be working,” wrote Troy in his post as the accompanying videos show Jackson perfecting her start in an indoor track. Whatever things may be, should Shericka manage to fly to Paris, a showdown for the ages would be waiting to enthrall fans.

An intense rivalry waiting for the curtain call

For Richardson, the 2024 Games are of all the more importance. With the reigning 100m women’s world champ being barred from competing in Tokyo, Sha’Carri has been making big claims about her plans for Paris. The rivalry between her and the Jamaican opponents has gained significant traction in recent months, especially with all of them vying to subdue the others. While Shericka is the undisputed leader in the 200m race, Richardson’s 100m records are triumphant.

However, with Jamaica being unable to make use of Elaine Thompson’s prowess this time around, Jackson will have to bear more pressure on herself. With their rivalry being one of the most anticipated spectacles for this year’s quadrennial event, let’s take a look at how these women fare in their bid to win an Olympic gold.

However, in their respective Team Trials, Richardson finished the 100m race in 10.71 seconds, while Shericka clocked 10.84. On the other hand, in Kingston, Shericka punched her ticket to Paris in the 200m race after finishing in 22.29 seconds at the Jamaican Team Trials, while Sha’Carri completed the same race in Eugene, Oregon in 22.16 seconds. With both these results, Sha’Carri now stands closer to the world records set by the iconic Florence Griffith-Joyner in both the 100m (10.49) and 200m (21.34) events. But which of these stars has what it takes to look track immortality in the eye and grab it by the scruff?

We’ll have to turn our gaze to the banks of the Seine for the answer in a few weeks’ time.