Shericka Jackson withdraws from Suzhou Diamond League

Shericka Jackson's 2024 season is delayed again as Jamaican withdraws from Suzhou Diamond League

Modified Apr 17, 2024 08:27 GMT

Shericka Jackson, 2x 200m world champion and 2x 200m Diamond League champion, has withdrawn from the Suzhou Diamond League. The reason for her withdrawal from the event, which is scheduled for next week in China, has not been disclosed. The Jamaican sprinter was expected to defend her 200m title at the 2024 Suzhou event which is the second meet of the season.

Shericka Jackson and Sha’Carri Richardson, current 100m world champion, planned to compete for the 200m title at the event on April 27, 2024. This is after their last showdown that took place in September 2023. Both athletes had earlier withdrawn from the 2024 Miramar Invitational event where they were to make their debut for the season.

Shericka Jackson's withdrawal from the Suzhou Diamond League has left many people in shock because she has withdrawn from a lot of competitions this year and has not opened her 2024 season yet. Jackson's participation in the Suzhou event would have been her foremost step to the Paris Olympics 2024 where she bids on improving on her Tokyo 100m bronze win.

"I am the athlete and my coach will prepare me for the right time" - Shericka Jackson talks about her preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games

Shericka Jackson had earlier shared her thoughts on the forthcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The 2024 Olympics would be her third participation in the mega quadrennial event and Jackson had stated that her coach would prepare her for the right time.

In the interview she did with Citius Mag, the 29-year-old athlete also talked about her plan to break Florence Griffith-Joyner's 200m world record of 21.34. Jackson, who went as close as 21.41, said that the world record is her target but that does not mean she would jump on breaking the record in all the races she will encounter in this year's season.

She said:

“Yes, the world record is on our minds but it's not something we are going to dwell on Instagram every race. Once I’m healthy and once I'm in peak form, anything is possible. I am the athlete and my coach will prepare me for the right time.”

In Shericka Jackson’s first appearance in the Olympics in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the Jamaican athlete secured bronze in the 400m contest and silver in the 4x400m contest. Jackson also clinched gold in the 2020 4x100m race and then clinched two bronze in the 100m and 4x400m competitions.