‘I’m super-fast now’: Jackson sets sights on 21-y-o national 400m record
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Double world 200m champion Shericka Jackson believes if she returns to the 400m, she would be capable of breaking the 21-year-old Jamaican record in the event.
“I said I wanted to break the Jamaican national record, which is currently 49.30. My personal best is 49.47 set back in 2019,” she said at a press conference ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich.
The national 400m record was set by Lorraine Fenton in 2002.
During her time as a 400m runner, Jackson attained several individual and relay global medals before switching to the sprint double in 2021.
Since then, she has built an impressive resume as she is a two-time world 200 gold medallist, achieving a lifetime best, championship and national record and world-leading time of 21.41 seconds at the recently concluded Budapest World Championships.
She is also a two-time world 100m silver medallist, Olympic 100m bronze medallist, Olympic gold medallist in the 4x100m, a two-time world 4x100m silver medal winner, and joint fifth fastest woman in the 100m with a time of 10.65.
Still, she expressed that she hopes to revisit the 400m in the near future.
“I wanted to run the 100m and the 400m at the Jamaica trials but coach wouldn’t allow me. I definitely hope someday coach and I can sit and we go back to the 400 because I want to see how fast I can run now that I am super-fast than before…As I said I hope me and coach can revisit the 400,” Jackson added.
To date, Jackson has the fastest 400m time of any active Jamaican female athlete in the event, with Candice McLeod closely behind with a time of 49.51 seconds.