Risk of injury!

The global athletics community was on edge waiting to learn the extent of the injury that two-time world championship gold medalist Shericka Jackson appears to have sustained in the women’s 200 metres on Tuesday.

The Jamaican star was competing in the Istvan Gyulai Memorial, part of the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix and World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Event, at the Bregö Athletics Centre in Szekesfehervar.

Late Tuesday, Jackson’s camp moved to ease concerns. Jackson’s physical therapist, Troy Evans, said on social media that the injury is not serious. He said it was a hamstring spasm.

Jackson, who won her third consecutive women’s sprint title at the Jamaica Athletics Association (JAAA) national championships at the National Stadium late last month, was leading the race with about 50 metres to go before stopping in agony and limping to the finish line last.

Jamaica’s Sherika Jackson reacts to a hamstring spasm during the Gyulai István Memorial World Athletics Intercontinental Tour Gold Meeting at the Szekesfehervar Athletics Centre in Hungary on Tuesday (Photo: AFP)

She is the World Athletics Championship record holder, with her personal best of 21.41 seconds second-best of all time for the distance, and the Jamaican record holder, and is a medal contender in both the sprint and track and field events at the Olympics to be held in Paris, France this summer. She won bronze medals in the 400 meters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 and the 100 meters in Tokyo, Japan in 2021, and is aiming for her first Olympic medal in the 200 meters.

If she is not recovered in time for the first round of the women’s 100 metres, scheduled to take place in the first Olympic track and field session, she will join two-time women’s sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Heller in the injured category.

St. Lucia’s Julian Alfred won Tuesday’s race in 22.16 seconds (0.6 m/s), matching his season’s best, while Jamaica’s Ranae Tava Thomas took third in 22.54 and Natasha Morrison took fourth in a season’s best time of 22.95.

Newly crowned national champion and world leader Kishane Thompson recorded an impressive victory in his fourth race of the season, winning the 100m in 9.91 seconds (-0.6m/s).

World Championship medallist Letsile Tebogo of Bostwana finished second in 9.99 seconds, while South Africa’s Akani Simbini was third in 10.01 seconds.

Last year’s Jamaican national champion, Rohan Watson, was fourth in 10.15 seconds, while Michael Campbell was seventh in 10.28 seconds.

Tia Clayton, a surprise runner-up at the JAAA Championships, took second place in the women’s 100m in 11.06s (-0.5m/s), followed by compatriots Crystal Sloly (11.15s) and Natasha Morrison (11.19s), with Tina Clayton coming eighth in 11.52s.

Tamari Davis of the United States won in 11.00.

In the men’s 200 metres, Andrew Hudson took second place in 20.37 seconds, well behind Canada’s Andre de Grasse, who clocked a season’s best time of 19.98 seconds.

Sean Bailey took second in the 400m in a season’s best time of 44.64, making a big recovery in the final 120m but just couldn’t catch Stephen Gardiner of the Bahamas, who finished in 44.50.

Defending national champion A’Keria Smith placed second in the girls long jump with a jump of 6.83 meters (-0.7 meters/second), while Tajay Gayle placed ninth in the boys competition with a jump of 7.76 meters (-1.3 meters/second).

Rajindra Campbell finished fifth in the men’s shot put with a distance of 21.20m.

Canada’s Andre de Grasse (left) wins the men’s 200m race, beating Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson.

Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson (centre) won the men’s 100 metres, beating South Africa’s Akani Simbine (left) and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.