Just a week after Jamaican star Shericka Jackson dominated Sha’Carri Richardson in the Shanghai 200m, hopes of a swift American revenge vanished at the Xiamen Diamond League. Shericka Jackson came within 0.01 seconds of smashing the world lead, but Richardson hit a familiar roadblock as her outdoor season continues to falter.
Jackson produced one of the strongest performances at Egret Stadium by stopping the clock at 21.87 seconds. It was a meeting record and just 0.01 seconds shy of the world lead of 21.86 set by Julien Alfred in the women’s 200m at the Texas Invitational in April. The win came with a $10,000 prize, adding another strong result to her early season.
Behind her, Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas finished second in 22.04, while Team USA’s Anavia Battle took third in 22.29. It was the same podium order as in Shanghai, while former world 100m champion Richardson once again ended fourth, this time in 22.38.
This continued Sha’Carri’s streak of fourth-place finishes and near misses of the podium. At the 2024 Shanghai Diamond League, she finished 4th in the 200m with 22.42; again 4th in the 200m at the 2024 US Olympic Trials with 22.16. Later in 2025 she had more tough finishes, including 4th at the Tokyo Golden Grand Prix (11.47) and 5th in the 100m final at the World Championships in Tokyo (10.94). Even with that, her 200m best remains her 21.61 run from 2023, still her strongest marker in the event.
Richardson made a slight improvement compared to her 22.42 in Shanghai, but it was still not enough to close the gap with the leaders. A big part of her challenge comes from her start, which has often put her on the back foot in the 200m.
She is not among the early leaders in most of her races. She usually sits around 4th to 6th position in the first half before using her strong finish to try to recover ground. The issue is that at this elite level, the gap early on becomes too hard to fully recover by the end. This problem was clearly visible in the 2024 Olympic final.
Performance Lab in California, in a YouTube video, broke down how Richardson’s early upright posture and a unique lateral arm and head rhythm, combined with a deliberate coaching strategy, lead to her slow starts and strong finishes. At the 100m final at the Paris Olympics, she had a reaction time of 0.221 seconds—the slowest in the field—while winner Julien Alfred reacted in 0.144 seconds. That difference meant she had extra ground to make up from the very beginning.
Richardson is now training under a new coach, Dennis Mitchell, and trains with her partner, Christian Coleman, who smashed the world record with a 6.34-second performance in the 60m dash. She is trying to break her unlucky streak of fourth-place finishes with her new team.
On the other side, Shericka Jackson’s form continues to set the standard. She has moved from 22.07 in Shanghai to 21.87 in Xiamen. It is the kind of form she has shown before, including her 21.41 run in 2023, one of the fastest 200m performances in history. She is not at that peak yet, but the early signs are already strong.
That leaves one big question: when will Richardson’s breakthrough run finally arrive?
The story behind Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson on the track
The first clear overlap between Richardson and Jackson came at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic. The race also featured Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and a returning Richardson after a suspension. Jackson finished in the leading group in 10.76, while Richardson struggled in her comeback race and finished last in 11.14 seconds. At that point, there was no real rivalry yet, just two athletes at very different stages. Richardson summed it up simply after the race: “I’m not done.”
By 2023, the picture changed fast. In Doha, Richardson won the 100m in 10.76 seconds with Jackson second in 10.85, marking their first real head-to-head battle at full strength. A few weeks later at the Prefontaine Classic, Jackson hit back and won in 10.70, while Richardson finished fourth in 10.80. The back-and-forth made it clear both were now competing at the same level.
The biggest moment came at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. In the 100m final, Richardson won gold in 10.65 seconds, with Jackson taking silver in 10.72. In the 200m, Jackson responded with a huge 21.41, one of the fastest times in history. For Richardson, the rivalry has become something she openly values.
“You have to have that person, or you have to have that individual or that country that you know, like, hey, they’re gonna bring their A-game every time they see you, so I got to bring my A-game every time I see them,” she said.
“I feel like the track girlies, Sherika, they’re phenomenal, beautiful women. Off the track, they live their lives and make sure to show up as much work as they put on their bodies; they look very nice. So we like to live in this lifestyle. The fashion in itself is a job, but it’s much more fun. Not as hard as running and training, but fashion is another way of expression when it comes to our hair, our nails,” she added while recapping their rivalry off the track.
It was not to be at the Xiamen DL, but when she appears in the women’s 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in July, she will be aiming to get one back against Jackson.
Richardson’s journey has been marked by both brilliance and frustration. After bursting onto the scene in 2021 with a stunning 10.72 at the Olympic Trials, she was suspended for a positive cannabis test and missed the Tokyo Olympics. She returned in 2022 with mixed results but found her stride in 2023, winning the world 100m title and setting a personal best of 10.65. However, the 200m has been a different story. Despite her 21.61 best from 2023, she has struggled to consistently challenge the likes of Jackson and Alfred. Her fourth-place finishes in recent races suggest a pattern of near misses rather than a decline in ability.
Technical issues with her start have been well-documented. In the 200m, the start is even more critical than in the 100m. Richardson’s upright posture and unique rhythm, while allowing a powerful finish, often leave her behind at the gun. Analysts have pointed out that her reaction times are consistently among the slowest in elite fields. With a new coach and training alongside her partner Coleman—one of the fastest starters in history—there is hope that she can refine her technique.
Jackson, meanwhile, continues to build momentum. The Jamaican star, who previously focused on the 400m, has become a dominant force in the 200m. Her 21.41 in 2023 is the second-fastest time ever, only behind Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 21.34. Even at this early stage of the season, Jackson’s 21.87 demonstrates that she is on track for another strong campaign. The rivalry between Richardson and Jackson has brought renewed excitement to women’s sprinting, with each push forcing the other to improve.
Looking ahead, the 2026 season promises more showdowns. The Prefontaine Classic in July will likely feature both athletes in the 100m, while the Diamond League finals and the 2026 World Indoor Championships (though Jackson rarely competes indoors) will provide further opportunities. For Richardson, breaking the cycle of fourth-place finishes will require not just a perfect start but also the mental resilience to trust her training under pressure. Jackson, on the other hand, seems poised to challenge her own best time and perhaps the world record.
Richardson’s fourth-place streak is statistically remarkable. Over the past two seasons, she has finished fourth in the 200m in multiple major races: Shanghai 2024, US Olympic Trials 2024, Xiamen 2024, and now Xiamen again in 2026. That consistency just off the podium could be seen as a curse or as a sign that she is on the verge of a breakthrough. In the 100m, she has been more successful, but the 200m remains an elusive target.
The question of when Richardson will turn those fourths into podiums—and eventually wins—will define the next phase of her career. With Jackson setting the pace and Alfred emerging as a world lead holder, the competition has never been stiffer. But if Richardson can solve her start issues and harness her explosive finishing power, she has the talent to beat anyone on her day. The Xiamen Diamond League was another chapter in a compelling story, and the sequel is already being written.
Source: Yahoo Sports News