Budapest, Hungary – Shericka Jackson produced a blistering run to win the women’s 200m in a championship record of 21.41 seconds at the 19th edition of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Shericka Jackson, who defended the title she won last year in Eugene, Oregon, did not celebrate ‘the Jamaican way’ as her facial expression and body language invited more questions and interpretations.
The world record for the event is 21.34 seconds, held by American legend Florence Griffith-Joyner, and many people believe Jackson can eclipse it.
Shericka Jackson Reigns Supreme in Budapest 23 Women’s 200m
Therefore, all eyes were on the clock when Jackson flew off the bend at lightning speed, led the field by donkey lengths, and bolted across the finish line. After the winning time was displayed on the scoreboard, accompanied by a championship record, Jackson hid her feelings well when all the cameras were trained on her moments later.
What was the reason behind Shericka Jackson’s muted celebration?
At the press conference, she fielded several questions and provided insight into her reaction.
“Honestly, when I crossed the line and saw the time, I said aaahhh, I’m close, I’m close. I wrote down two times on my bib today. The slowest I wrote was 21.40 and I got 21.41. I just wanted to see the race before I celebrated because I didn’t know if it was wind-legal,” she explained.
She added, “I was super exhausted, I wasn’t feeling 100% as I was under the weather. So it’s not a disappointing look that I didn’t get the world record.”