Tokyo, Japan – On a pulsating night of track and field, Jamaica collected two bronze medals in the men’s and women’s 200m finals, respectively, to improve its tally to eight medals and sixth-place ranking on the medal table.
Jamaica had high hopes going in with two of its brightest stars, Shericka Jackson, the two-time defending champion and Bryan Levell, among the favourites. Levell, coming off two impressive victories in the heats and semifinals, had positioned himself to provide the toughest challenge to the American Noah Lyles, who was undefeated over the 200m at the last three World Championships.
Levell, drawn in lane seven, found himself sandwiched between Lyles (lane six) and Kenneth Bednarek (lane eight). In still wind conditions, all three men started well, with Levell enjoying a slight advantage as they came off the top bend and into the homestraight. With his unbeaten record on the line, Lyles, who had the fastest time entering the final, found an extra gear to overtake Levell and Bednarek, claiming a stunning win in 19.52 seconds and his fourth world title on the trot.
Bednarek, who has lost thirteen (13) times to Lyles, finished second in a season’s best 19.58 seconds ahead of Jamaica’s Levell, who ran a 19.64 personal best for bronze. Levell became the first Jamaican to win a medal in the 200m at the World Championships since 2015.
“It was a good race. It was difficult, but I just ran,” said Levell. “It’s a great feeling for Jamaica. It’s a really good feeling to know I can do it. I think my coach and family will be very happy. I just want to relax after this and see what comes up next season.”
In the women’s equivalent, Shericka Jackson faced off against the red-hot Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who was seeking her first sprint double, having won the 100m on the second day of the championships. Jackson knew she had to run a good curve to stand a chance, and she did. However, Jefferson-Wooden ran a blinder too, reaching the top of the straight 0.09 seconds ahead of Jackson.
Jefferson-Wooden changed gears and began to pull away from the field, with her only competition, at this point, being the negative wind (-0.1 m/s). Jefferson-Wooden crossed the line in a world-leading and personal best 21.68 seconds. The battle for second was on in earnest. Jackson held her own as Dina Asher-Smith, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith and Brittany Brown began to fade.
Britain’s Amy Hunt, who came off the curve in sixth position, seized the opportunity and began to quicken her strides. Hunt went past them in one fell swoop to claim the most unlikely silver medal at the championships in 22.14 seconds. Jackson hung on for third, crossing the line in 22.18 seconds.
“I think this bronze is a lot more precious than any before. I like winning, but this year I feel like I’ve won anyway,” said Jackson. “Coming back from last year’s injury, I wanted to show up again. I wanted the competitiveness, and I got it. I am happy to be here, healthy. After the 100m final, I was heartbroken because I really wanted a medal. Tonight I ran for it, and I am grateful I got it. Now I am going to take a break. I am re-grouping, so after the 4x100m relay, I am going back home to have some fun. I wanted to take it year by year, so we will see about the future.”