AFTER seeing Shericka Jackson’s performances at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, former world champions Jamaican-born Donovan Bailey and Justin Gatlin believe she’ll still be a dominant force in the sprints.

Jackson, the second-fastest woman in history over 200m with 21.41 seconds, was unable to defend her 200m title that she won consecutively in 2022 and 2023 but secured bronze in 22.18, behind American winner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Great Britain’s Amy Hunt.

The 31-year-old, who missed the 2024 Paris Olympic Games due to injury, made an impressive comeback in Japan where she finished just outside the medals in the 100m, finishing fourth with a season’s best 10.88. She also ran a season’s best 21.99 in the 200m semi-finals, the second-fastest time at the championships behind Jefferson-Wooden’s world -eading 21.86 in the final.

Bailey, who won 100m gold for Canada at the 1995 World Championships and the 1996 Olympics, says he expects Jackson to return to her best in the near future.

“Shericka’s been golden, and this is what keeps athletes going. It’s clear that, in reflection, she will understand that her making it to the podium [in the 200m] after the season she’s had — the setbacks, the injuries, and the things that we don’t even know about, it will be a win,” he told CBC Sports.

“What it does, it kind of resets the clock for 2026 and she can finish the season going into fall training and understanding that in 2026, ‘I still got it with all of the stuff that I had to deal with in 2025. I still made it through; I’m injury-free.’ She’s going to be all right.”

American Gatlin, who won individual world titles in 2005 and 2017, says he was impressed with Jackson’s mental strength, despite the odds she was up against.

“I love Shericka for the fact of she still stood out there, went out there, and handled business,” Gatlin said on his
Ready Set Go podcast. “She didn’t have the best season, we all know that, but by the time she went through those [100m] rounds she ended up with that 10.8.

“And she said she cried after because she wanted better for herself medal-wise but she said, ‘I had to pat myself on the back because I went out there and ran 10.8 when I know my body wasn’t even in 10.8 shape to do so.’

“That gave her confidence going to the 200m and to be able to run the rounds very strategically to make sure that she’s in a good standing and a good place to go out there and run for a medal. She wanted the gold, she would have settled for the silver, and she’s okay with the bronze. This is not the last we’ve seen of Shericka.”

In a social media post on Sunday, Jackson says she was pleased with her Tokyo experience, after her previous struggles.

“This has been a year of healing, frustration, uncertainty, with a splash of disappointment, but I always had faith, self-belief, coupled with some self-healing,” she said. “I am extremely grateful for this year because it gave me enough time to recover from the trauma I experienced in 2024. This year was a big win for me and I am happy.

“Honestly, I just want to say thank you to everybody who repped ‘Team Jacko’. I appreciate every single moment and I know my best is yet to come.”

Jackson ended her season a day earlier than planned as she missed Sunday’s 4x100m relay final in which Jamaica won silver.

Shericka Jackson of Jamaica smiles at winning the bronze medal in the women’s 200m final race during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, on September 19, 2025. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Shericka Jackson (left) of Jamaica and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States race in the women’s 200m final during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, on September 19, 2025. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Jamaican-born Olympic Games and World Champion Donovan Bailey.

America’s Olympic and World Champion Justin Gatlin.