SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Two Jamaican sprinters pulled out of their women’s races this weekend and will not compete for individual medals at the Paris Games.
Shericka Jackson, the defending world champion who is the second-fastest woman of all time in the 200, had previously withdrawn from the 100 meters, saying it was partly because of a leg injury she suffered in a tuneup race last month. It is unclear why she pulled out of Sunday’s race.
It turns American Gabby Thomas into the clear favorite to win the 200. Thomas cruised through her qualifying heat in 22.20 seconds, as did Julien Alfred, who returned to the track and ran 22.41 about 13 hours after beating Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100 meters.
Jackson’s exit deals yet another blow to the Jamaican women, a perennial Olympic powerhouse that had captured 15 of the 24 Olympic medals in the 100 and 200 between 2008 and 2021.
Shericka Jackson of Jamaica
All three sprinters from Jamaica’s 100-meter sweep in Tokyo have been absent in Paris. Elaine Thompson-Herah, the 100 and 200-meter champion, shut down her season earlier this year with an Achilles tendon injury.
Only minutes before Saturday night’s 100 semifinal, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce pulled out with an undisclosed injury, saying on social media “it is difficult for me to find the words to express my disappointment.”
Jackson, who won last year’s world championships in 21.41 — only .07 off Florence Griffith Joyner’s 36-year-old world record — ran a pedestrian 22.29 at her country’s Olympic trials in June.
Then, in a race in Hungary on July 9, she pulled up before the finish of a 200-meter race, leaving her form in doubt with the Olympics less than a month away.
Meanwhile, two-time Olympic 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s quest for another title ended abruptly Saturday when she pulled out before the 100-meter semifinal at the Paris Games.
Olympic officials said she suffered an undisclosed injury. The letters “DNS” — “Did Not Start” — flashed on the scoreboard only moments before she was supposed to race Sha’Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred in the evening’s second semifinal.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica
“We only got the information that she is injured, but (a team doctor) is addressing the matter, and we will speak further on the matter,” team manager Ludlow Watts told the Jamaica Observer.
Alfred ended up beating Richardson in both the semifinal and the final to take the gold medal.
Fraser-Pryce, who won gold medals in 2008 and 2012, has said this will be her fifth and final Olympics. In a social media post early Sunday morning, she thanked her supporters but did not provide specifics about her injury.
“It is difficult for me to find the words to describe the depth of my disappointment,” she posted. “I know that my supporters share and shoulder this disappointment with me. I am truly Blessed to have had the steadfast support of my fans since my Olympic debut in 2008.
“With every step and win, you have all been there for me.”
Fraser-Pryce advanced easily through the first round the day before, finishing second in her first-round heat in 10.92 seconds.
Earlier in the day, Fraser-Pryce was one of several athletes blocked from entering the training track, the Jamaica team said on its social media site. The team said she was eventually let in.
Paris organizers said she merely came to the wrong gate, and had to go to a different one to get into the practice area.
Fraser-Pryce has a total of eight Olympic medals, including gold in the 4×100 at the Tokyo Games in 2021. She also has 16 medals at world championships, including five titles in the 100, the most recent of which came in 2022.
Her departure left the 100 without all three Jamaicans who swept the podium in Tokyo. Reigning champion Elaine Thompson-Herah shut down her season earlier this year with an Achilles tendon injury, and bronze medalist Shericka Jackson announced this week that she was focusing on the 200.
By ASSOCIATED PRESS