Jamaica’s Jackson runs third fastest 200m of all time

Tuesday, 28 June 2022 01:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Jamaica's Shericka Jackson reacts after winning the women's 200m - Reuters

KINGSTON (Reuters): Shericka Jackson ran the third fastest 200 metres of all time in 21.55 seconds to seal a sprint double at the Jamaican national trials for next month’s World Championships on Sunday.

The 27-year-old led coming off the corner and pulled clear down the straight to add the 200m crown to the 100m title she won on Friday. Elaine Thompson-Herah finished second in 22.05 with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce third in 22.14.

Only the late Florence Griffith Joyner, who set her long-standing world record of 21.34 seconds in 1988, and compatriot Thompson-Herah, who clocked 21.53 to seal the sprint double at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, have run faster.

Asked whether she had expected to post such a quick time, Jackson told Reuters: “Honestly no! I did not expect to go this fast.” Jackson, who won bronze in the 100m in Tokyo, was not completely satisfied with her performance.

“For the next three weeks we (coach Paul Francis and I) will clean up any mistakes I made and I expect greater things,” she added. Andrew Hudson, who recently switched allegiance from the United States to Jamaica, won the men’s 200m in 20.10 ahead of Yohan Blake in 20.31 and Nigel Ellis in 20.41.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Olympic champion Hansle Parchment recovered from a sluggish start to catch Omar McLeod and pull away to win in 13.14.