Who Is Jacious Sears? The 22-Year-Old That Almost Broke Sha’Carri Richardson’s Record to Take World Lead at Tom Jones Memorial

Taking a serious battle with the records of Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is never easy. However, a 22-year-old senior from Tennessee has shown this bravado in recent times. Last year, the American athlete equaled Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to become the fourth fastest female sprinter in the world. Now, in her latest run, she almost toppled Sha’Carri Richardson from the all-time topper position in the 100m NCAA event. So what motivates her to wage war with such highly regarded records? 

Jacious Sears didn’t hold back from expressing herself. The humble sprinter also stated that she is looking for more such performances in the coming days. After running a 100m NCAA record with a time of 10.77 on Saturday in the 2024 Tom Jones Memorial, Sears went all-smile in discussing her take on the moment. In a conversation with Citius Mag, the 22-year-old sprinter acknowledged Sha’Carri’s performance in the 2019 race, where she put up the 100m NCAA record (10.75). But, alongside she also came out clearly that the record is in her mind and vowed to “run [my] next few races beautifully and PR even more”. One more factor is also there.

Jacious acknowledged her coaches’ role in helping her keep the momentum. “They’ve always encouraged me and… made me believe more in myself”, she described. That might be the reason behind her staunch performance results in recent times. 

Jacious Sears is a star in making 

Jacious Sears claimed the school records in both 60m indoor and 100m outdoor last season. That contributed heavily to earning the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy, awarded to the highest individual scorer, at the SEC Championships. The holistic performances kept her in the upper echelon of all the outdoor sprinting events. She also claimed the second fastest mark in the 200m event in Lady Vol in 2023. 

Sears’ indoor performances attained a similar glory run last year. In the 60m NCAA final, the Florida native grabbed the bronze medal. This feat also became historical in Tennessee’s indoor track and field list. In the interview, Jacious Sears claimed that her future goal is to continue to erect milestones in track and field. 

In the past four months, Jacious Sears appeared in almost every track and field event, both in the indoor and outdoor categories. Apart from posting the world-leading time in the 100m event, her relay matches are similarly scintillating. Among the numerous events this year, she could face a displacement from the podium on two occasions only. With such prowess, she might eventually land in the US Olympic track and field scenario and run after Sha’Carri Richardson’s record there as well.