Shericka Jackson is the sole Jamaican woman among the list of 11 nominees for the 2023 Women’s World Athlete of the Year award.
The list of nominees was announced by the World Athletics Organization on Wednesday.
Jackson, the second fastest woman of all time in the 200 metres, closed out an impressive 2023 season in September with the a gold double at the Diamond League: 10.70 in the 100 meters and 21.57 in the 200 meters — a new meet record.
Just a month before at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Jackson set a national record in the 200 meters with 21.41, just nearly missing the world record of 21.34 set by American Florence Griffith-Joyner. In July, she set a personal best and new world-leading time in the 100 meters with 10.65 at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Shericka Jackson is currently the only athlete in World Championship history to win medals in the 100, 200 and 400 metres (and by extension, the 4×100 and 4×400 metres relays). She is also the second athlete in history, behind Marita Koch to win medals in the 100, 200, 400, 4×100 and 4×400 metres at the World Championships and/or the Olympic Games.
“In what has been another memorable year for the sport, the nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other events around the world,” the World Athletics said in a statement on Wednesday.
This week marks the opening of the voting process for the 2023 World Athletes of the Year.
These athletes were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.
The voting process
A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.
The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube this week; a ‘like’ on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or a retweet on X will count as one vote.
Read more on Shericka Jackson:
- Shericka Jackson leads Caribbean honors ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Sha’Carri Richardson at the Diamond League
- Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson puts world on notice ahead of World Champs
The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.
Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on Saturday 28 October. At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics on 13-14 November.
The winners will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms on 11 December.
