Shericka Jackson’s 2025 season isn’t unfolding the way anyone expected. And now the alarms are officially sounding. Just weeks after being stunned by St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred at the Miramar Invitational, the Jamaican sprint queen has suffered another unexpected blow. This time, it came on an even bigger stage: the Diamond League opener in Xiamen, China. Jackson, the two-time world champion at 200 meters, was left chasing shadows as the 26-year-old American star surged past her in the women’s 200m, handing Jackson back-to-back defeats in the early season.
The warning signs first flashed back on April 5 at the Ansin Sports Complex in Florida, when Julien Alfred edged Jackson in the 300m by a razor-thin 0.08-second margin, setting a new national record in the process. That loss at Miramar felt like a small stumble. But now, with Anavia Battle stepping up and toppling her at a premier Diamond League event, the narrative has shifted from “early rust” to serious questions.
At Egret Stadium in Xiamen, it was Anavia Battle who stole the spotlight, clocking an impressive 22.41 to leave Shericka trailing with a 22.79 finish. For Jackson, it marked her first race back since the Stockholm Diamond League last June, and she had hoped for a smoother return to the big stage. Meanwhile, Anavia Battle’s breakout performance has thrown her name into the mix of serious contenders, sending a loud message to the world’s best that a new threat is on the rise.
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