Over 21.45 extraordinary seconds, Shericka Jackson flew supersonic into golden skies. Meanwhile Dina Asher-Smith found inspiration in the heavens to claim a stunning 200m bronze medal.
Stunning because, as Asher-Smith revealed afterwards, she had been knocked sideways by the death of her cherished 92-year-old grandmother Sislyn Asher, who was part of the Windrush generation, in May. Yet here she was, after a season of doubts and fears and heartache, proving once again that she is one of the world’s greatest sprinters.
But on a night where most of Kingston appeared to have decamped to Eugene no one was catching Jackson. The Jamaican’s staggering time made her the second fastest woman in history over 200m, behind only late Florence Griffith Joyner’s 21.34 from 1988. Given the doubts surrounding Flo-Jo’s performances, Jackson has a legitimate claim to be the fastest 200m runner in history.
Silver was claimed by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, sporting an electric pink wig, who ran 21.81 to claim the 21st global medal of her career. However Asher-Smith was rightly delighted to win bronze in 22.02.
Afterwards she dedicated her success to her grandmother, who came to England from Trinidad after the second world war to work in an NHS hospital in Lewisham. And, as Asher-Smith revealed afterwards, Sislyn not only looked like her – but used to claim she sprinted like her too.
“We looked very similar, same mannerisms, birthdays two days apart, my whole life we always had a joint birthday,” she said, smiling. “She’d like to claim she was a sprinter, 100%. If you were to ever ask she’d say it’s all from me.”
That is why her death, after a long illness, cut so deep. “My body has been in great shape, I’ve hit all my targets and in the gym I’ve been doing great,” said Asher-Smith. “But my brain wasn’t in the room. It felt like I was watching myself do stuff.
“She was an incredible woman, and my whole family wouldn’t be who we are without her; without her hard work and her sacrifices for us. I know she is so happy right now.”
Asked about her journey from a shock defeat to Daryll Neita in the 100m at the British trials in June to winning another major medal here – the 16th of her career – she explained: “I had to take myself from being so profoundly sad to being OK to race. But I knew my grandma would have wanted me to be performing amazingly.
“I’m never going to be the same because we were so close,” she added. “But I absolutely know she’d want me to stand there with my head held high. She’s been giving me great signs all season. Some things have happened and I’ve been like ‘thank you grandma, thank you’, because I know she’s sending me these good vibes.”
But the biggest vibrations on the night came from the Puma spikes of Jackson as she proved herself the fastest woman alive over 200m.
What made her performance all the more extraordinary was that after 100m, the top three were separated by just 0.05sec. But when Jackson hit the straight, she flew home in a stunning 10.41. No wonder the vuvuzelas, which made it sound as if an army of mosquitoes were invading Eugene, honked in approval.
During her stellar career, Jackson had won 11 global medals at Olympics and world championships, across the 100m, 200m, 400m and 4x100m and 4x400m relays. But an individual title had always eluded her. In an era of extraordinary Jamaican sprinters, she was the third Beatle. A George Harrison next to Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah’s Lennon and McCartney. This performance, though, was her My Sweet Lord.
“I am feeling great,” said Jackson. “I came out and put on the show. The fastest woman alive, the national and championship record, I cannot complain.”
Over the years, she has absorbed the lessons from her friend and training partner Fraser-Pryce at the MVP track and field club in Kingston. MVP stands for “Maximising Velocity & Power”. Jackson certainly displayed that in abundance.
What made this victory so special for Jackson is that she was knocked out of the 200m heats in Tokyo after slowing down too much when in the lead. It was a lesson so tough it made her cry. But it also taught her something else.
“No matter what you keep going,” she said. “After the Olympic Games I cried so hard and so much. But it was preparing me for this year and I am so grateful for this moment.”
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But Asher-Smith made plenty of noise with her performance, which came against some of the greatest female sprinters in history. “I definitely think we are in a golden era,” she said. “It’s insane. We have not seen these times for decades and decades. But also we just haven’t seen this depth either. And the fact these times are coming from an assortment of women is so special.”
But even she was staggered by Jackson’s performance. “Does that mean Shericka came round the bend in like 11.0 and then ran a 10.4 straight?” she asked. “It’s mad. I do not think we are going to see anything like that again.”
It wasn’t long, though, before Asher-Smith’s thoughts returned to her grandmother. “My life is never going to be the same,” she said. “But she would want me to come here and be in as good a mental shape as I could possibly be. I know I’ve done her proud.”
True. But not just her grandma though. Britain too.
