Will Shericka Jackson win Female World Athlete of the Year?

Shericka Jackson is the sole Jamaican nominee among a shortlist of eleven female athletes, for the 2023 Female World Athlete of the Year. The shortlist is a very strong one that includes Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia (Marathon), Femke Bol of the Netherlands (400mH), Shericka Jackson of Jamaica (100m and 200m), Faith Kipyegon of Kenya (1500m, mile and 5000m), Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan (javelin), Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine (high jump), Maria Perez of Spain (20km), Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia (10,000M), Sha’Carri Richardson of the USA (100m), Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela (triple jump) and Winfred Yavi of Bahrain (Steeplechase).

Jackson’s resume

To-date, the 2023 season has proven to be the most successful for Shericka Jackson. She won gold in the 200m at the Budapest World Championship in a Championship Record of 21.41 that bettered her previous Championship Record time of 21.45. Jackson also won silver in the 100m in 10.72, and of course, silver in the 4 x 100m relays. The Jamaican phenom also underscored her dominance by winning the Diamond League sprint double to become the first Jamaican female to accomplish this feat in a Diamond League Final format. For the 2023 season, Jackson has been a model of consistency in the 200m, posting some very impressive times. In fact, she stopped the clock four times below 21.80, reeling off 21.41 (+0.1), 21.48 (+0.2), 21.57 (+0.3) and 21.71 (-0.5).

Personal best in the 100m

In the 100m, Jackson has posted three sub-10.80 seconds, to record a joint World Lead of 10.65 (+1.0), 10.70 (+0.8) and 10.72 (-0.2). Indeed, the 2023 season has been a phenomenal season for Shericka Jackson. However, will these be enough, to upstage Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, who has established multiple World Records in winning double gold in Budapest, and who has also emerged as the Diamond League Champion in the 1500m? My guess is, Shericka Jackson, though impressive, will come up short in winning the Female World Athlete of the Year. I think, based on her complete dominance, double gold at the World Championship and multiple World Records, Faith Kipyegon is the clear favourite for this award, and will prove very difficult to beat for the 2023 Female World Athlete of the year.

Henley Taylor

Freelance Sports Writer

Henleytaylor1965@gmail.com