Shericka and Lyles chasing history

Jamaican Shericka Jackson and American Noah Lyles are chasing unique records at the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo.

But both athletes face contrasting challenges against their rivals in the women and men 200m races respectively.

Shericka is expected to face stiff challenge to match Allyson Felix’s record of three women’s world 200m titles. As for Lyles, the imperious runner is favoured to match the legendary Usain Bolt’s record of four consecutive world titles.

With Olympic women’s 200m champion Gabby Thomas out with and achilles injury, St Lucia’s Julien Alfred is the runner in form and likely to spoil it for Shericka.

Julien missed out on a medal at the World Championships two years ago, but clinched the silver at the Paris Olympics last year.

The 24-year-old now heads into the championships as fastest runner of the season. She clocked a national record of 21.71 in London in July, elevating her to ninth on the world all-time list and making her the fastest in the world this year by 0.13.

American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the Olympic 100m bronze medallist, who is favoured to win the shorter sprint, has a personal best of  21.84 over 200m.

Anavia Battle, who won at the Diamond League meetings in Xiamen, Keqiao, Rome and Paris, is another runner to watch in the race.

Others in the fray include McKenzie Long, the 2019 world silver medallist, and Olympic bronze medallist Brittany Brown, who won the Diamond League title in Zurich with a season’s best of 22.13.

Shericka, the defending champion Shericka Jackson, was forced to miss the Olympics last year due to injury, but cannot be overlooked.

She returned to action this year and has been improving with each race, most recently winning at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia with 22.17. The 31-year-old, who holds the championship record of 21.41, is looking to add to her World Championships haul of 11 medals.

Her teammates, national champion Ashanti Moore and Gabrielle Matthews along with the likes of Great Britain & NI trio of former champion Dina Asher-Smith, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita, Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast ; Spanish record-holder Jael Bestue and Liberia’s Thelma Davies can also spring a surprise.

Lyles chase for history in the men’s 200m looks much more predictable compared to Shericka’s chances in the women’s race.

He tops the 2025 world list with the 19.63 he set at the US Trials, when he achieved another historic flourish in matching the record of five 200m national titles held by Michael Johnson and Ralph Metcalfe.

Lyles won by 0.04 after overtaking Kenny Bednarek in the final strides.

Bednarek is second on the year’s world best with 19.67 – the time he clocked in following Lyles home at the trials.

Botswana’s 22-year-old Letsile Tebogo, who claimed the Olympic title in Paris last year in a race where Lyles finished third behind Bednarek will be a tough nut to crack.

Lyles, making a late start to this season because of injury, beat beat Tebogo by 0.09 at the Monaco Diamond League and again at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, by just 0.02 s.

Jamaica will be represented by 21-year-old Bryan Levell, whose season’s best of 19.69 puts him third on this year’s world list and gives him strong medal chances. Zimbabwe’s Tapiwa Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba both made the Olympic final last year are also in the fray.

Other contenders to watch include the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando, Britain’s 2023 world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes and Australia’s extraordinary 17-year-old rising talent Gout Gout, who has already set an Oceanian record of 20.02 in his first international season.