'She needs to win the big one'- Why American sprint legend believes time is running out for Shericka Jackson

'She needs to win the big one'- Why American sprint legend believes time is running out for Shericka Jackson

Stephen Awino 18:30 - 20.11.2024

American sprint legend Michael Johnson believes that time is running out for Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson to etch her name into history given her age factor.

American sprint legend Michael Johnson has expressed concern that reigning 200m world champion Shericka Jackson may be running out of time to secure her place among the all-time greats of track and field.

Despite her impressive list of achievements, including Olympic and World Championship medals, Johnson believes Jackson’s career will not feel complete without an individual Olympic gold in the 100m or 200m.

“Shericka is in a very unique situation because she is not early 20s, she is 30 now and time is running out for her to win the big one, the Olympics,” Johnson remarked in an episode of Netflix's Sprint.

Jackson, who is often seen as the successor to Jamaican legends Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, occupies a unique position.

Unlike typical successors in track and field, who are usually much younger, Jackson is closer in age to her predecessors.

This has limited her window of opportunity to dominate on the global stage.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Jackson, then 26, took bronze in the women’s 100m with a time of 10.74 seconds.

Her teammates Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah took silver and gold respectively, dominating the podium.

Jackson also contributed to Jamaica’s gold in the Women’s 4x100m Relay, adding to her already impressive Olympic resume, which includes five medals, one gold, one silver, and three bronzes.

However, an individual Olympic gold remains elusive.

The Paris 2024 Olympics was seen as Jackson’s golden opportunity to claim her maiden title in her favorite event, the 200m.

Unfortunately, an untimely injury forced her to withdraw, paving the way for Gabby Thomas to claim gold, with Julien Alfred and Brittany Brown finishing second and third, respectively.