Shericka Jackson defends 200m title clocking just 0.07s behind Flo Jo's world championship record

Shericka Jackson has successfully defended her 200m title at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Not only did she win the race, but also came close to beating legendary female athlete Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 200m record by just 0.07s.

On Day 7, August 25, Shericka Jackson ran a stunning 21.41s to win gold. Her competitor, Gabby Thomas, achieved the silver medal with 21.81s. Moreover, her rival, the USA's Sha’Carri Richardson, who won the 100m sprint, came third in the 200m race, clocking a personal best of 21.92.

Shericka Jackson, Gabby Thomas, and Sha'Carri Jackson win 200m race at World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Jackson's timing was just 0.07s away from the legendary Flo Jo’s 21.34s world record from the 1988 Olympics. Moreover, with 21.41s, Jackson bettered her previous best time-frame of 19.45s, a mark that she clocked in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

Presently, she shares her name in the top 5 fastest 100m female runners, including Florence Griffith-Joyner, Elaine-Thompson-Herah, Gabby Thomas, and Marion Jones.

After the race, Jackson told Olympics.com that although she missed breaking the world record, she was not disappointed with her performance. She added:

“To run a personal best, I'm definitely grateful."

Furthermore, Jackson shared that her 200m victory at last month's Monaco Diamond League reignited her will to dominate the event at the world championships.

"I'd lost a little love for the 200, maybe because I was so focused on the 100 early on in the season. I think when I watched the race in Monaco, I realised that I'd got back what I was missing and I think I did pretty good in Monaco," Jackson explained.

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Shericka Jackson commented on breaking the 200m World Record

Jackson at Allianz Memorial Van Damme 2022 - Diamond League

Before leaving for Budapest for the World Championships, Shericka Jackson shared her view on breaking the world record in an interview. The reigning 200m world champion shared that her focus was not on breaking her personal best of 21.45s or the world record of 21.34s. Instead, she was concentrating on giving her best performance at the 200m race.

She further added:

"If I execute a good 200, then it's definitely possible, but I'm not going to go in the 200 when I'm supposed to be in my zone to focus on to execute my 200."

Moreover, Jackson expressed that she was confident about her physique and preparation and just wanted to be at her best in the 100m and the 200m races.