Surprising because, Asher-Smith revealed afterwards, she had been knocked sideways by the death of her beloved 92-year-old grandmother Sislyn Asher, who was a member of the Windrush generation, in May. Yet here she was, after a season of doubt, fear and heartbreak, proving once again that she is one of the world’s greatest sprinters. But on a night where most of Kingston seemed to have decamped to Eugene, no one was catching Jackson. The Jamaican’s stunning time of 21.45 seconds made her the second fastest 200m athlete in history, behind only the late Florence Griffiths-Joyner. Given the doubts surrounding Flo-Jo’s performance, Jackson has a legitimate claim to being the fastest 200m runner in history. Silver was claimed by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, wearing an electric pink wig, who ran 21.81 to claim the 21st world medal of her career. However, Asher-Smith was more than happy to take bronze in 22.02. She then dedicated her win to her grandmother, who came to England from Trinidad after the second world war to work at an NHS hospital in Lewisham. And, as Asher-Smith revealed afterwards, Sislyn not only looked like her – but she used to claim she sprinted too. “We were very similar, same mannerisms, birthdays two days apart, all my life we’ve always shared a birthday,” she said with a smile. “He would like to claim he was a sprinter, 100%. If you ever asked he would say it’s all from me.” That is why her death, after a long illness, cut so deeply. “My body has been in great shape, I’ve achieved all my goals and in the gym I’ve been doing great,” Asher-Smith said. “But my brain wasn’t in the room. I felt like I was watching myself do things. “She was an incredible woman and my whole family wouldn’t be who we are without her. without her toil and her sacrifices for us. I know she’s so happy right now.” Asked about her journey from a shock defeat 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 deeply sad to being OK in match. But I knew my grandmother would want me to perform amazingly. “I will never be the same because we were so close,” she added. “But I absolutely know he would want me to stand there with my head held high. He’s been giving me great marks all season. Some things happened and we’re like, ‘thank you grandma, thank you,’ because I know she’s sending me those good vibes.” But the biggest vibes of the night came from Jackson’s Puma spikes as she proved the fastest woman alive over 200m. What made her performance even more amazing was that after 100 meters, the top three were separated by just 0.05 seconds. But when Jackson hit the straight, she flew home in an amazing 10.41 seconds. No wonder the vuvuzelas, who made it sound like an army of mosquitoes had invaded Eugene, honked their horns in approval. Shericka Jackson pushes boundaries. Photo: Erik S Lesser/EPA During her stellar career, Jackson has won 11 Olympic and world championship medals in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 4x100m and 4x400m relays. But an individual title always eluded her. In an era of outstanding Jamaican sprinters, he was the third Beatle. A George Harrison alongside Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah’s Lennon and McCartney. This show, though, was my Sweet Lord. “It feels great,” Jackson said. “I went out and staged the show. The fastest woman alive, the Panhellenic and the championship, I can’t complain.” It was hard to argue with that. Over the years, she has absorbed lessons from her friend and training partner Fraser-Pryce at the MVP Track and Field Club in Kingston. MVP stands for “Maximize Speed and Power”. Jackson certainly showed that in abundance. And what made this win so special for Jackson is that she was disqualified from the 200m in Tokyo after slowing too much when she was ahead. It was a lesson so hard it made her cry. But he also taught her something else. “No matter what you go on,” he said. “After the Olympics I cried so much and so much. But it’s been preparing me for this year and I’m so grateful for this moment.” Quick guide
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Thanks for your response. But Asher-Smith made quite a splash with her performance, which came against some of the greatest female sprinters in history. “I definitely think we’re in a golden age,” he said. “It ‘s crazy. We haven’t seen these seasons for decades and decades. But we also haven’t seen that depth either. And the fact that these seasons come from a variety of women is so special.” But even she was taken aback by Jackson’s performance. “Does that mean Shericka went into the turn like an 11.0 and then ran a 10.4 straight?” asked. “It ‘s crazy. I don’t think we’ll see anything like that again.” It wasn’t long, though, before Asher-Smith’s thoughts returned to her grandmother. “My life will never be the same,” he said. “But he would want me to come here and be in as good a state of mind as I could possibly be. I know I made her proud.” True. But not only her grandmother. Britain too.
