National 100m champion Sherica Jackson. (Photo: Naftali Jr.)
After surviving a season marked by multiple postponements due to nagging injuries, reigning 200m world champion Sherica Jackson admitted to having some uncertainty heading into this year’s JAAA National Championships.
The 29-year-old Jackson usually starts her season in late January, but this year she made her debut at the Japan Association of Athletics Federations national championships on May 4, winning the 100m in 11.03 seconds at the National Stadium, raising concerns about her fitness ahead of the championships.
But Jackson, who is coached by Stephen Francis of the MVP Track Club, put those concerns to rest on Friday by winning the women’s 100-meter final at the U.S. Championships in a season-best time of 10.84 seconds.
“There were times during the season when it took us a while to get going and we lost a little bit of hope, but I believed in my coach,” Jackson said after the win. “There were some frustrating moments, but now we’re here and I’m excited.”
“Honestly, I had a few little injuries here and there, but nothing serious. I had to catch up on a few things before the season started, especially my weight. I was overweight and my coach noticed it a month before the season started. I know how to lose weight and I was disciplined enough to be here and I’m grateful to be here now.”
“My coach and I sat down and discussed what we wanted to do this year. Last year I ran a lot but at the end of the season I was pretty tired, especially after the World Championships. The coach sets the rules and I follow them. He is the coach and I am the athlete. He knows what he is doing, I trust him and that is why we are here today.”
Jackson’s time is the fastest 100m run by a Jamaican woman this year and the fourth-fastest in the world, behind world champion Shakari Richardson of the United States, who ran 10.71 seconds.
Jackson’s training partner Tia Clayton came second in 10.90 seconds, while Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce, competing in her fifth Olympic Games, came third in 10.94 seconds.
Jackson, who holds the second-fastest 200m time of all time with 21.41 seconds, will be competing in her third Olympic Games. She previously won gold as part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but is yet to win an individual medal at the championships.
Jackson said he is determined to end that drought this year, trusts in Pope Francis’ guidance and is confident about his chances of standing atop the podium in Paris next month.
“Even though I don’t have an individual Olympic gold medal, I’m definitely looking forward to it this year,” Jackson said. “I feel good. I just wanted to qualify and I did. It’s OK. I had a slow start to the season, but still, the coach makes the rules. My coach and I sat down and had a long talk about how I was going to approach this season and I think I did pretty well.”
“I’ve only run one 100m this season and my 200m wasn’t my best either. Like I said, it’s an ongoing project and I have to trust the process. I did and that’s how I’m here today.”
Reflecting on winning her third consecutive national title in the 100 meters on Friday, Jackson said she was pleased with her performance in the final despite her poor start.
“My performance was good but I started really badly. But we’ve been working on it and I think I started pretty well the first two rounds, but in the final I wasn’t 100%,” she said. “But I’m here, I’m having fun and I’m grateful for everything, I’m injury-free and I’m excited. One of the best things is to believe in yourself, and I do believe in myself.”
