Shericka Jackson receives hugs from rival Sha'Carri Richardson on winning 200m at World Athletics Championships

The 2023 World Athletics Championships saw another iconic moment between rivals Shericka Jackson and Sha’Carri Richardson at the end of the 200m race on Friday, August 25. After the Jamaican athlete successfully defended her title at the race, she received comforting hugs from American athlete Sha’Carri Richardson.

On Friday, Shericka Jackson claimed the gold medal in the 200m race, clocking a personal best of 21.41s. With this, she also became the second-fastest woman in the world after legendary athlete Florence Griffith-Joyner.

Moreover, her competitors Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Jackson recorded 21.81s and 21.92s respectively, to win the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Winners of the 200m race at World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Previously, Richardson and Jackson faced each other at the 100m race where the American athlete emerged as the winner while the Jamaican had to settle for a silver medal. However, on Friday, after Shericka Jackson was declared the defending champion in the 200m race, her competitor Richardson was seen to comfort her.

While Jackson sat on her knees on the ground to gasp her victory breath, Richardson came to her and gave her a tight hug for a few seconds. The heartfelt moment spoke a thousand words in their sportsmanship.

Previously, in the 200m semi-finals, the rivals were spotted sharing a comforting moment after they finished the race. The athletes tightly gave each other a side hug while eagerly looking at the scoreboard.

Shericka Jackson hugging Sha'Carri Ricardson at Day 6 of World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Both of them had clocked exactly 22.00s, which marked Richardson’s first-ever entry in the 200m world championship race. It also allowed Jackson to defend her winning title in the event.

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Sha'Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson's rivalry

The athletes at Day 6 of World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson’s rivalry first began in July. The American athlete had made headlines for her strong comeback after clocking a stunning 10.71 seconds in the 100m heats at the 2023 US Track and Field Championships. It showed her first-ever entry in the world championship and also hailed her timing as the fastest in the world in 2023.

However, Richardson could not enjoy the tag of “fastest in the world in 2023” for too long. A day later, Jamaican athlete Shericak Jackson clocked 10.65 seconds at the Jamaican Championships in the 100m finals.

Later on, the rivals finally faced each other at the Silesia Diamond League meet in the 100m race. It turned out to be the American athlete’s victory who clocked an impressive 10.76s which was just two-hundredths of a second ahead of Jackson.