Silesia Diamond League – Women’s 200m, the commentator announced, “Shericka Jackson, who’s strong over 400, has got some running to do just yet. But here she comes in the pink. The Jamaican in lane six. Easing away, but they’re coming back at her.” They did. They tried to go past per. They could not. The Jamaican, this late in the season, just before the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, clocked a season best to win the 200m race today. The 22.17s (-0.3) was a message that she is back on the track, as she said later.

“We are back! It has been a while, and it has been a journey. Getting here was a rollercoaster with missed flights, but I made it! I have not run a curve this hard since 2023.” She has had difficult years in the past, and this season has been a struggle as well. She clocked a time of 11.20 seconds in the heats of the Jamaican National Championships and then 11 seconds at the Gyulai István Memorial.

Jasckson continued, “Last year was a disappointment, but now mentally I am here, and I am strong. I want to thank everyone who helped me achieve it. I am in a competitive training group now, the other girls are strong, and I enjoy that. I like to compete against strong opposition.” In 2024, the Jamaican was in Paris, where she was at the Summer Olympics, where she was eliminated in the third heat because she did not start the 200 m heats due to a hamstring injury.

The hopes of the 200m world champion were shattered. But even before, at the Gyulai István Memorial, Shericka Jackson finished last in the race with a time of 36.29 seconds. All of this took a lot of mental toll on her, but she bounced back from it. Sure, 2025 has been a little struggle, but it is also the year she has come back stronger.

Shericka Jackson’s Journey Back to Form

“Last year was really, really hard for me, mentally and physically,” Jackson said in April ahead of the Xiamen Diamond League, her first outdoor race of 2025.“But I had my family, friends, and coaches in my circle. Coach and I sat down and had a conversation during the Olympics, and we worked on the fine details, and I took some time to get healthy. ” And this is what you do, you fall, you take your time to stand back, and then you rise. That break has done the same for the Jamaican. How did that happen?

Part of her comeback comes from her returning to her roots at the MVP Track Club, where she first began her career over ten years ago. Now 31, she’s back in a familiar place, working closely with coach Stephen Francis and sticking to a focused recovery plan. In Xiamen at the opening Diamond League, she clocked a time of 22.79 seconds to finish second.

After the race, she said, “Things have been going really good, I’m healthy and I’m excited to be here… I want to cross the line healthy and work my way back in slowly. I’m not rushing anything.” After that, she claimed her first 100m win of the year, clocking 11.04 seconds in Rabat. This was followed by a season-best 22.53 to win the 200m at the Racers Grand Prix. Shericka Jackson finished second in JAAA, with a time of 10.88s in the 100m, and will be going to Tokyo. Can she win?