- Shericka Jackson withdrew from the women’s 200 meters on Sunday morning
- Jackson has won the 200m at the last two world championships
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also withdrew from the 100m on Saturday evening
Jamaican world sprint champion Shericka Jackson withdrew from the women’s 200 meters on Sunday morning, minutes before her heat.
Jackson had withdrawn from the 100 meters earlier this week to concentrate on the 200 meters, the event she won at the last two world championships.
But she did not appear at the start on Sunday and it remains to be seen whether she will participate in the 4x100m relay in the coming days.
The reason behind Jackson’s withdrawal is not yet clear, but it is another major blow for Jamaica after legendary sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the 100m semi-finals on Saturday night.
Fraser-Pryce, Olympic champion in the 100 meters in 2008 and 2012, has had a season with many injuries, but she weathered her heat wave well on Friday morning.
Shericka Jackson (pictured) withdrew from the women’s 200 meters on Sunday morning
Jackson is a two-time world champion and the second-fastest woman ever over this distance
Her withdrawal comes after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the 100m on Saturday
However, shortly before the start of the semi-final it was confirmed that she would not race.
Jackson and Fraser-Pryce were expected to lead the Jamaican relay team, but their participation in the event is now in doubt.
Jackson’s absence is a major setback for the 30-year-old, who is the second-fastest female 200-meter runner of all time after American Florence Griffith Joyner.
She was also part of the relay team that won gold in the 4x100m in Tokyo three years ago.
The 200m heats took place on Sunday morning without Jackson, but the Team GB trio of Daryll Neita, Dina Asher-Smith and Bianca Williams all progressed to the semi-finals.
100m finalist Daryll Neita (pictured) led a trio of Britons into the semi-finals of the 200m
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Neita finished fourth in the 100m final on Saturday, sailing to victory in her heat. Asher-Smith missed out on the final but put that disappointment behind her to put in a solid run, while Williams also finished strongly to secure her place in the semi-finals.
100m champion Julien Alfred continued her exceptional form as St Lucia’s first Olympic medallist won her heat in a canter.