Two-time Jamaican 200 metres world champion Shericka Jackson will not contest the sprint double at the Paris 2024 Olympics after dropping from the women’s 100 metres event.
The 30-year-old sustained a calf injury during her final outing on July 9 in Hungary before the Games commenced.
Jackson clocked a season’s best of 10.84 seconds to win the 100 metres at the Jamaican trials but her manager Ludlow Watts revealed that Shashalee Forbes will be her replacement.
“She has given up her place in the 100 metres … all the information that we can provide is that she is not going to participate in the 100 metres,” he said.
“Shashalee Forbes is her replacement in the women’s 100 metres. I don’t know the reasons, I’m just dealing with what is the outcome.”
Forbes clocked fourth in the 100 metres during the Jamaican trials with a time of 11.04 seconds.
BREAKING: Shericka Jackson 🇯🇲 will not run the 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!😳
She will be replaced by Shashalee Forbes on the Jamaican women’s 100m team and will now focus on the 200m.
This was confirmed by Jamaican Athletics manager Ludlow Watts as per @kayraynor pic.twitter.com/9EKdOpdyHX
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) July 31, 2024
Jamaica’s hopes for a gold medal in the women’s 100 metres will now rest on Olympic debutant Tia Clayton and twice Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Elaine Thompson-Herah, who won the sprint double at the 2016 Rio Games and 2020 Tokyo Game, will not defend her titles after missing the Jamaican trials because of an Achilles injury.
The absence of Shericka Jackson presents American world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who has the leading time of 10.71 seconds this year, as favourite for the 100 metres gold medal.
The United States have not won the women’s 100 metres title since 1996 when Gail Devers stood on the podium in Atlanta.
