Shericka Jackson, who took the World Cup medal in both sprints, hates sprinting. Legend Heike Drechsler-Bryggare believes that the Jamaican could set a world record on the second trip.
Shericka Jackson switched to fast travel. PDO
Jamaican runner Shericka Jackson29, is a sprinting superstar.
On Friday night, Jackson took his second consecutive world championship in the 200 meters with a real bomb run. 21.41 is already ME time.
He already won the 100-meter World Championship silver.
Even though the World Championships in Budapest were full of medals, he does not enjoy sprinting at all.
– I run short distances, but I don’t like it. It’s so hard. I respect sprinters because I always feel so much pain when running sprints, Jackson has told.
Just a few years ago, Jackson did not shine as a star in the world of sprinting.
The Jamaican, who was far from the podium as a junior, still ran mainly in 400 meters in 2019. At the Tokyo Olympics, shorter distances were chosen as the goal.
Jackson did not agree with the idea with his coach.
– My coach assured me that I would be fast at 100 meters. It was hard at first. I doubted my abilities and got a lot of nasty comments, Jackson says now.
The body couldn’t take it
Heike Drechsler is an Olympic medalist in 100 and 200 meters. PASI LEISMA
The Jamaican runner eventually competed in 100 and 200 meters and both relays in Tokyo. In the 200 meters, Jackson was four thousandths away from the final place.
He admits that everything was not right at the time.
– I only had to run 200 meters at the Olympics. I was in good shape, but it was tough. I wasn’t in the right place mentally. My body took a hit.
Visiting expert of Iltalehti Heike Drechsler-Bryggare has competed in the 100m, 200m and long jump in the same competitions. The Olympic bronze medalist in sprints knows how hard the body load and mental stress can get.
The risk is, for example, muscle tears.
– I understand that all this has affected his body. Jackson has competed a lot. You have to be very careful with your body and recovery. If you don’t feel good, you have to focus on one or two things.
Faster than before
Jackson (left) grabs World Cup medals from Budapest. PDO
Jackson leads the 100m world record this season with a time of 10.65. On the longer distance, his summer best before the Games (21.71) was enough for second place in the statistics.
In Friday’s final, the Jamaican clocked a 200-meter race record time of 21.41, which entitles him to second place among the fastest times in history. Above, only the world record of 21.34 is held Florence Griffith-Joyner.
– I ran 21.45 last year. I’m definitely faster than that, Jackson estimated before the race – and he was absolutely right.
Drechsler-Bryggare praises Jackson as the best female sprinter in the world.
– His technique is good, and he is powerful. The mind is strong. He can fight at the end. He has learned that from 400 meters, where there is a lot of lactic acid in the last hundred meters.
When moving from circuit laps to sprints, the biggest difference comes in tactics. For 100 and 200 meters, you have to be at the start immediately in the front stroke.
– I believe that Jackson will be able to show his strength more in 200 meters. He is incredibly fast, says Drechsler-Bryggare.
WE broke?
As recently as 2019, Shericka Jackson mainly competed in 400 meters. PDO
At the World Championships in Budapest, Jackson is still running a relay.
The Jamaican has invested especially in his 200 meter run before the honors.
– Whatever is possible. I am one of the best, so I have no pressure, he says.
Drechsler-Bryggare would like to see Jackson on the circuit again. He believes the trail would be cold.
– He could break the world record. He would easily be better than the others.