American sprinting icon, Florence Griffith Joyner, had set an almost untouchable record in the 100m and 200m categories. Her 1988 Seoul Olympics records have spent an unrivaled 35 years of existence. However, after making a staunch comeback, track and field star, Sha’Carri Richardson is already taking big golden strides to crack the FloJo code once and for all.

At the 2023 World Athletics championships, Sha’Carri Richardson posted a personal best of 10.65 seconds and stood victorious on the tracks of Budapest. Following this, Richardson sets her sight on 35-year-old Florence Griffith Joyner’s longstanding record. However, Richardson is not the only sprinter who is looking forward to surpassing FloJo’s record, as Jamaican sprinting icon, Shericka Jackson stands on equal footing with her.

Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson look forward to stand victorious on the tracks of Eugene

Sha’Carri Richardson is currently riding a smooth wave of success. The World Champion recently outperformed every other international athlete in Budapest to claim two gold medals. Richardson has already established herself as an undisputed force in the women’s 100m. In fact, she also delivered the finishing blow in the 4x100m relay to create another championship record.

In the women’s 100m, Shericka Jackson faced head-to-head competition from Sha’Carri Richardson. The American sprinter has outperformed Jackson in their three finals this season, posting times of 10.76 to Jackson’s 10.85 in Doha, 10.76 to 10.78 in Skolimowska Chorzów, and 10.65 to 10.72 in Budapest to take the world championship title.

Now, if the American sprinter stood atop the podium with 100m victory, Jamaican prodigy, Shericka Jackson stood victorious with 200m glory in her bag. Not just on the tracks of Budapest, but also in Zurich, Jackson blazed through the finish line in 200m heat with absolute finesse.

The Jamaican sprinter now stands just 0.07 seconds behind FloJo’s 200m record of 21.34 seconds that she set during 1988 Seoul Olympics. This makes Jackson the ultimate challenge for Sha’Carri Richardson in the upcoming Prefontaine Classic, as the Jamaican will now be aiming at two golds on the tracks of Eugene: one in her beloved 200m discipline and will compete against Richardson to clinch the 100m triumph.

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Interestingly, Shericka Jackson entered track and field as a 400m sprinter. However, she has now turned into the fiercest short-distance competitor in the league due to her coach, Stephen Francis.

Shericka Jackson and her unstoppable golden spree

Sha’Carri Richardson has shown a greater initial acceleration in women’s 100 m. But, things take a dramatic turn when an additional 100m gets added to the tracks. While Jackson kept up with Richardson and took silver in 100m, Richardson fell slightly short and got a bronze in 200m.

Richardson’s Budapest run of 21.92s was her best, whereas Jackson’s best of 21.41s almost beat FloJo’s 21.34s. The key factor in the mammoth-like rise in Jackson’s potential is her coach Stephen Francis.

Francis took the reins for Jackson’s training in 2021 and prepared her for the 200m sprint. The experienced coach perfectly detected Jackson’s true strength and made her polish it.

Now, the fandom awaits Jackson’s performance at the 2023 Eugene Diamond League on 16th September, where Jackson and Richardson will face each other once again. While both Richardson and Jackson are girded up to clinch the glory, will the Jamaican return home with two gold medals?

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