What Is Happening With the Jamaican Women Sprinters at the Olympics?

It is difficult to overstate Jamaica’s dominance in the 100m and 200m events across events in both men’s and women’s categories, as the small Caribbean nation has won 15 of the 25 medals available in these two events in the last four Olympic Games.

However, this time around, there were some surprising decisions from the Jamaican women’s team. Shelly-Ann-Fraser Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Elaine Thompson-Herah didn’t suit up for either the 100m or 200m events this time around, which went to Julien Alfred of St. Lucia and USA’s Gabby Thomas, respectively.

In late June, Thompson-Herah was the first sprinter to announce she wouldn’t be participating due to the Achilles tendon injury she suffered during the New York Grand Prix. Thompson-Herah won successive gold medals in both 100m and 200m in Rio and Tokyo and missed the opportunity to defend her titles in Paris.

This year’s favorite, Shericka Jackson, pulled out of the 100m, which took place last Saturday. Concerns emerged after she was seen in visible discomfort during a July race in Hungary. Jackson did affirm her intention to participate in the 200m, but eventually took a call to skip the event. No reason was given at the time, though most assume it’s because of the same injury that bothered in the tune-up event last month.

The senior-most of the trio, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, was slated to run in the 100m but an hour before the race, the veteran sprinter withdrew as well, effectively leaving only one Jamaican to participate in the marquee event: 19-year-old Tia Clayton.

Fraser-Pryce was also a no-show at the recently concluded 200m event. She expressed her disappointment in an Instagram post, which, having said herself that the Paris Olympics would be the last event of her career, is completely understandable.