PARIS, France — Having withdrawn from the women’s 100m event, reigning world 200m champion Shericka Jackson is now focusing on delivering the first Olympic gold medal of her career in the women’s 200m competition.

Jackson’s decision to pull out of the 100m event, where she was viewed as a strong favourite for a medal, comes after she pulled up with an apparent injury in the 200m late in a race in Hungary three weeks ago. She was leading the race entering the home straight before abruptly slowing down, grimacing, and putting her head in her hands as she eventually walked across the finish line.

Jackson has been replaced by Shashalee Forbes for the 100m in Paris.

The 28-year-old Forbes, who finished fourth in the women’s 100m final at the National Championships in June, has a season’s best time of 11.03 going into the Olympic Games

Jackson, the fastest woman alive in the 200m with her time of 21.41 seconds, said she was pleased with the decision to concentrate on the half-lap race.

“It’s a combination of a lot of stuff, and my coach and I made a decision not to contest the 100m, and I think we are pretty happy with that,” she noted.

“You have to make decisions that are best for your body, mind, and soul, and I think I am okay with the decision my coach and I made. I got hurt in Hungary, and it is a good decision to run one event here,” she said.

Jackson, 30, is the fastest Jamaican woman this year in both the 100m and 200m events with times of 10.84s and 22.29s, respectively. She is a five-time Olympic medallist, with her sole gold coming as part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay winning team at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

She has insisted that claiming gold in the 200m is more important than a bid to break the world record of 21.34 seconds in the 200m, set by the American Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.

“There won’t be a world record coming, but definitely to compete at my best,” Jackson said. “It will mean a lot to win the gold, and like I have said, I don’t have an Olympic individual gold medal, and so I think it will definitely be good for me. I think I am feeling pretty good, and I am in really good shape.”

There are concerns about Jackson’s ability to recover in time after the 200m event with strong worries about her participation on Jamaica’s 4x100m relay.

The opening round for the 200m is due on Sunday, with semi-finals a day later and the final on Tuesday.