In 2021, when Sha’Carri Richardson returned from her ban and raced at the Prefontaine Classic, she finished dead last in the 100m. Who were the top 3? An all-Jamaican podium. Elaine Thompson-Herah finished first, followed by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson. Post that race, Usain Bolt said, “Jamaicans were vexed because she [Sha’Carri] was talking a lot of s*** before the actual race…” That’s how heated the US-Jamaica rivalry has historically been. But having recently gone head-to-head with Sherika Jackson at the Shanghai Diamond League, Sha’Carri opened up about the rivalry.
Speaking about the on-track rivalry with the Jamaicans, the two-time Olympic medalist believed that they brought out the best in her.
“It’s just like you said, in sports, you have to have rivalry,” Richardson told Bruce McAvaney. “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.”
“So I feel like I enjoy that rivalry outside of, like you said, even my group itself. But I enjoy that rivalry because every single time we line up against each other, it’s just like, “Okay, I know you came here to play. I came here to play, so who’s gonna walk away with the win today?” And it’s every single time.”
Sha’Carri Richardson also got candid about how she views her counterparts off the track.
“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.
That has, more often than not, been the case between Richardson and Jackson. The two never competed against each other in 2025 and missed out on their chance in 2024 after Jackson pulled out due to an injury. That is, however, only in the 200m, with the last time being at the 2023 World Championships. Shericka Jackson demolished the championship record with 21.41 seconds—the second-fastest time in history.
It made her the fastest woman alive over 200m, with Sha’Carri Richardson finishing third, registering 21.92 seconds. Not far off, but enough given the record. Since then, the two haven’t faced off again until the Shanghai Diamond League meet earlier this month. It was Jackson taking the win again, with Shaunae Miller-Uibo coming in second as Jamaica and the Bahamas took home the one-two.
Team USA did walk away with third place thanks to Anavia Battle, but Richardson didn’t make the podium as she finished half a second off Battle. Yet despite her performance, Richardson does have the advantage when it comes to the 100m, having beaten the Jamaican sprinters time after time. It kicked off in 2021 and reached its peak in 2023, when she won gold at the World Athletics Championships.
That ended Jamaica’s streak of consecutive world titles in the 100m, but it would also be her last major title over Shericka Jackson. The 26-year-old struggled in the aftermath with her off-field issues plaguing her performances on the track. So much so that Jackson and co re-took their advantage and surged forward, with Richardson now hoping to bounce back.
Sha’Carri Richardson’s Jamaican rival reflects on her performance in Shanghai
After injury struggles through 2024 and a slow season in 2025, Shericka Jackson arrived in Shanghai ready to compete. And once she stepped up to the line, everything went as planned.
Richardson did clock a rather impressive 22.42 seconds in the 200m, but it was well off her personal best, which just happens to be 21.92 seconds, a time she recorded in 2023. While she does have a wind-assisted 21.61 (+2.6), her lack of race training showed as Jackson clocked 22.07. That was enough for the gold as Miller-Uibo finished second with 22.26 while Anavia Battle took third with 22.40.
Running a season best, Jackson was pleased with her results. “Last year I only ran at Xiamen rather than this meet because coming off an injury, in 2024 I wanted to enjoy last year, and I think I did that,” Jackson said, after the Shanghai race.
“I did well tonight. I got here on Thursday at the hotel after a long trip. It sets me up well for the rest of the season. It is a good feeling; it was my fastest opener since 2022 or 2023, so to be able to run this quickly in 2026, I’m happy. I will be back competing in Xiamen next week.”
For Sha’Carri Richardson, the rivalry with Jamaica has never just been about medals or times on a clock. It’s become the measuring stick for where she stands in women’s sprinting. Now, even after another loss to Shericka Jackson, the American seems convinced that those battles are exactly what will pull her back to the top.
