Jamaica’s Jackson Wins 200 Worlds with 2nd-Fastest Time Ever

Gold medalist Shericka Jackson (C) of Jamaica, silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (L) of Jamaica and bronze medalist Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain during the medal ceremony for the women's 200m final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, US, 21 July 2022. (EPA)
Gold medalist Shericka Jackson (C) of Jamaica, silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (L) of Jamaica and bronze medalist Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain during the medal ceremony for the women's 200m final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, US, 21 July 2022. (EPA)
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Jamaica’s Jackson Wins 200 Worlds with 2nd-Fastest Time Ever

Gold medalist Shericka Jackson (C) of Jamaica, silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (L) of Jamaica and bronze medalist Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain during the medal ceremony for the women's 200m final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, US, 21 July 2022. (EPA)
Gold medalist Shericka Jackson (C) of Jamaica, silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (L) of Jamaica and bronze medalist Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain during the medal ceremony for the women's 200m final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, US, 21 July 2022. (EPA)

Shericka Jackson gave the Jamaican women another gold medal in the sprints Thursday night, capturing the 200-meter title at the world championships in the second-fastest time in history, 21.45 seconds.

Jackson crossed 0.16 seconds ahead of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who won the 100 four nights earlier. Defending champion Dina Asher-Smith brought another medal back to Britain - the only of the six women's sprint medals not heading back to Jamaica this year.

Seconds after the win, Usain Bolt tweeted "Brilliant" with two Jamaican flags to represent the evening's medal haul.

Jackson's time was second only to one of the most hallowed marks on the books - the 21.34 by Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. It blew away the old world-championship record of 21.63 set by Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands.

Jackson adds this to her silver medal from Sunday night in the 100, and a pair of bronze medals she won in the 400 at worlds in 2015 and 2019.

She came into worlds with the fastest time in 2022, 21.55, though the victory has been building for longer than that. At last year's Olympics, Jackson missed the final after miscalculating in the curve, where she slowed up and finished fourth in her preliminary heat.

She called it a silly mistake and said it was all the fuel she needed to stay motivated for the championships this year.



Number of Tennis Players Worldwide Goes Past 100 Million, Federation Says

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024  Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca
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Number of Tennis Players Worldwide Goes Past 100 Million, Federation Says

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024  Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca

The number of people who play tennis has surpassed 100 million worldwide, according to the International Tennis Federation.
A global report released by the federation on Thursday said that nearly 106 million people around the world played at least one game of tennis in the last year, an increase of 25% compared to 2019.
According to The Associated Press, the federation said it was on track to add 30 million players to the game since that report in 2019.
The total number of women who play tennis grew by 8%, but the proportion of female players decreased from 47% in 2019 to 40% now. The federation said there are 13% more coaches in general, and 24% are women, compared to 20% in 2019.
ITF tennis development director Luca Santilli said there was no “specific reason" for the decrease in the percentage of women players, but he expected that the increase in the number of female coaches was going to help make a “difference” in getting more women playing the game.