Jamaica’s sprint queen, Shericka Jackson, is set to make a thunderous return to the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston on June 7th, headlining the women’s 200m.
After missing last year’s edition of the Grand Prix and enduring a tumultuous season capped by a heartbreaking withdrawal from the Paris 2024 Olympics, Jackson is back, determined, tested, and with unfinished business.
At 30, Jackson remains one of the fiercest competitors in global sprinting. Her blistering 21.41-second personal best still stands as the second-fastest 200m time in history.
A Star-Studded Homecoming
For Jamaican fans, Jackson’s participation is a homecoming for one of the island’s most beloved track icons. After a strong yet unsatisfying start to her 2025 campaign, including a 22.79-second second-place finish at the Xiamen Diamond League in April, the Racers Grand Prix offers a vital litmus test of her current form, ahead of a packed international calendar.
Organizers see Jackson as the face of this year’s meet.
“Shericka is one of the crowd pullers that the Jamaican public loves,” said Racers Grand Prix CEO Devon Blake.
“We’re looking forward to her having this opportunity to perform in front of her crowd and get her confidence up and running at tip-top shape.”
She won’t be alone in delivering fireworks. Kishane Thompson, Olympic 100m silver medalist, alongside rising sprint sensations Tia and Tina Clayton, are also confirmed, ensuring that the MVP Track Club’s proud legacy remains front and center.
From Setback to Redemption
Jackson’s journey back to the track hasn’t been easy. After being forced out of the Paris Olympics, where she was a clear favorite for the 200m title, many questioned whether she could return to her peak.
“Going home, I think, was the best thing,” she revealed.
The mental and physical toll of that season left its mark, but it also hardened her resolve. Starting with a humble 60m race in Kingston, followed by a demanding 300m outing in Miramar, Jackson methodically tested her limits, regaining rhythm, form, and confidence.
“That 300m was really hard,” she admitted.
“But it gave me a sense of calm to know where I was and how it felt to run beyond 200.”
A Defining Moment Awaits
While the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo remains her primary target this season, the Racers Grand Prix could prove pivotal. A strong showing here would not only reassert Jackson’s dominance on home soil but send a clear message to her rivals that she’s not done yet.
As for chasing Florence Griffith-Joyner’s legendary 21.34 world record, Jackson remains grounded.
“It is something that I still have in mind,” she confessed.
“Do I focus on it? No. I just take it each step at a time, and I think if it’s supposed to be, then it will come once I am healthy.”
With a stacked lineup that includes international stars like Masai Russell, fresh off breaking the American 100m hurdles record, and Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, now doubling up in the 100m flat event, this year’s Racers Grand Prix promises to be an evening of speed, surprises, and history in the making.
