Two-time double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah says training is going well ahead of her bid to defend her titles in Paris later this year.
The 31-year-old has switched camps this season and is now training under Reynaldo Walcott, who also coaches 3-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
“It has been great. My schedule has changed with a different system and different coach so I’m just trying to get accustomed to that and I think I’m in a good place right now and I’m happy about that,” Thompson-Herah said in an interview with Citius Mag.
The early part of Thompson-Herah’s 2023 season was hampered with injury.
In an interview with SportsMax.tv after her 100m season opener at the JAAA All Comers Meet at Jamaica College on June 24 last year, Thompson-Herah explained how her training had been hampered so much because of constant pain, going as far as to say her persistent injuries almost caused her to quit the sport entirely.
“Honestly, I’m feeling good despite the fact that I’ve been out so long. It has been a challenging one but, I still hang on. I almost gave up but I have faith and I came out here to just test my body to see where I’m at. My training has not been how I wanted it to but, the fact that I missed so much and came out here and ran 11.23 today, I’m just grateful,” she said after the race.
“People see us on the track all the time but they don’t know what comes behind that. I cried most mornings when I was driving home in my car because I see that I’m working hard and I’m not getting the results I want. I was on the verge of giving up, honestly, but God spoke to me and said ‘you cannot give up right now because I took you this far,” she added.
Nine months later, Thompson-Herah says she feels good heading into the season and is focused on remaining healthy before anything else.
“I feel good. It’s like if you have a car and have to service the car. My duty is to make sure that my body is fine-tuned and always ready for the goal. The key focus is to always stay healthy. The time doesn’t matter right now. What matters is getting through each race fit and healthy. Once I have that, the time will come after. The aim is always to break a world record and defend my title,” she said.
“For me the mindset is I have to be strong and have to be positive. Push out those negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. It’s all about getting my workout done each day. Once that is done, I pray to Christ and I’m happy. The key that I walk with every day is believing in myself,” she added.
Having won the sprint double at the last two Olympics in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021, Thompson-Herah was asked if she feels any pressure to complete the three-peat in Paris this year.
“Only time I ever feel pressure is if I have an injury. The pressure is trying to wonder how can I fix this injury fast to make to the Olympics and to make it to the Olympics, we have to go to national trials and once I have that ready I think I’m good. For now, just stay focused and healthy,” she said.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Defending champion Lyssons hold the lead heading into final day of INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary School Eastern Championships
Defending champion Lyssons Primary of St Thomas have established a 19-point lead after 11 finals heading into the final day of the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Athletics Eastern Championships.
Lyssons, hunting their third straight title, raced to 86 points, with St Andrew’s Harbour View on 67 sitting in second and Rosseau Primary of Kingston in third on 49 points with a lot of catching up to do. Half-Way Tree Primary on 40, and Windward Road with 37 complete the top five.
Lyssons won four of the 11 finals with Kristina Bailey capturing the Girls’ High Jump Open with a leap of 1.45m, the same as second-placed Shaniel White of Windward Road. Cataleah Fitten of John Mills was third with 1.39m.
They also won three of the eight relays starting with the Girls Class I 4x100 relay in a record 52.36 seconds. Lessons also won the Boys’ Class Two 4x100 in 54.12 and the Girls’ Class 4 4x100 in 1:02.13.
Harbour View’s Vanessa Melbourne won the first final of the meet throwing 37.35m to win the Girls’ Cricketball Open. Harbour View also won Boys’ Class Four 4x100 relay in 1:01.31.
Half Way Tree Primary won two relays capturing the Girls Class Three 4x100 relay in record fashion clocking 55.49 and the Girls’ Class Two 4x100 in 53.90.
Windward Road were also in record-breaking form winning the Boys’ Class Three relay in 55.04 ahead of Harbour View with 55.53.
Rosseau Primary erased the Boys’ Class One 4x100 record of 51.94 lowering it to 50.54, the same time as second-placed Lyssons. St Richards were third in 51.12.
There will be 29 finals on the third and last day starting with the Girls’ long Jump Open at 9:00 am and concluding with the 4x200m relays at 3:30 pm.
Records tumble at INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Championship opening day
The Stadium East facility witnessed a spectacular display of talent on the opening day of the INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Eastern Championship, with five records falling before the close of competition.
Mickoloy Saunders from Lyssons Primary set the tone by shattering the boys' 800m record, clocking an impressive 2:35.94. This performance surpassed the previous mark of 2:39.83 set by his schoolmate Yohance Carty last year. Camron Fraser of Lawrence Tavern also made waves, finishing second in the heat with a time of 2:28.37, which was under the previous record.
Romeann Gray of Seaside Primary in Portland continued the record-breaking spree in the girls' 800m, storming to victory in 2:31.51, well below the old record of 2:36.57. Deanakay Pinnock of St Patrick’s was another standout, clocking 2:42.90 in winning her heat.
Lyssons Primary showcased their dominance by breaking records in both the girls' and boys' 4x200m relays. The girls' team blazed to victory in 1:50.74, erasing Harbour View's 2023 record of 1:54.87. Meanwhile, the boys' team set a scorching time of 1:45.80, demolishing the old mark of 1:51.80 set by St Jude’s last year.
Adding to the record-breaking spree, Shemika Dobbs of Windward Road clinched the girls' Class 4 60m in a swift 9.17 seconds, eclipsing the previous record set by Sunjai KirkPatrick of Alpha.
The championship continues on Thursday with ten finals scheduled. Defending champions St Thomas’ Lyssons Primary are poised for success, having qualified numerous athletes for the finals and showcasing exceptional form early in the competition.
Still alive: Bolt pleased with Ja's male sprinting resurgence; hopeful Seville will medal in "wide open" men's 100m in Paris
Take it from the incomparable Usain Bolt that the race for the men’s 100m title at this summer’s Paris Olympic Games will be wide open, as he is yet to identify any clear favourite to stake a claim on the coveted gold medal.
Bolt, whose words carries the weight of his unparalleled legacy, gave his views on the possible Olympic outcome, as he also shared thoughts on the progress of male sprinting in Jamaica, which he believes remains alive with the emergence of Rohan Watson, Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake, Ryiem Forde, and Kadrian Goldson, in particular.
Seville has been the main protagonist on that list, as he has consistently knocked at the door of a global 100m medal over the years. He placed fourth at both the 2020 Olympic Games and last year’s World Championships.
The 23-year-old’s rise from promising newcomer to bona fide contender has captured the imagination of Jamaican track and field enthusiasts at home and abroad. With blistering speed and unwavering determination, Seville has carved out a name for himself as one of Jamaica's most promising talents, and along with the others, carries the hopes of a nation known for its sprinting prowess.
“I think these athletes represent our chances, but it is all about execution. I think over the past years, it (Jamaica’s male sprinting) has been struggling, but I do think that Oblique has been keeping it alive,” Bolt, the ambassador for Red Stripe’s ‘Guh Fi Gold and Glory’ campaign, told journalists during the event’s launch in Half Way Tree on Wednesday.
“He has made all the finals so far; it is just for him to now get in the top three. And I think it's just consistency. I think the one thing with Oblique is that he always gets injured, but hopefully he can be consistent this season and stay on the right path and he'll be fine. So, I'm just looking forward to seeing them,” the iconic sprinter added.
Though American Noah Lyles, who copped the sprint double at last year's World Championships, has been a dominant force, his compatriots Fred Kerly, silver medallist at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and Christian Coleman are also prominent contenders, while the young generation of Jamaican sprinters –Watson, Seville, Blake, and Goldson –have also entered the conversation.
Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, are also expected to be in the mix in Paris, while Italy’s Marcell Jacobs and Canada’s Andre De Grasse, the gold and bronze medallists from the 2020 Games in Tokyo, are yet to enter the fray ahead of the global multi-sport showpiece.
While it is still early days yet, Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist and the world’s fastest man over 100m and 200m, expressed optimism about Seville’s Olympic Games medal prospects, as he believes the young sensation has proven that he can match strides with those names on the list.
“Let's see what happens. I think it's early. No one is doing anything, and I haven't seen anything impressive so far. So, I think it is still wide open. I am really hoping Oblique can break into the top three this time around. I think he has always worked hard over the years, and he is always in the final and always doing well. So hopefully, he will break into the top three,” Bolt said.
On that note, Bolt, who is looking forward to a second Olympic Games as a spectator since his retirement in 2017, believes the athletes stand ready to write the next chapter in the country’s storied history of success.
“Overall, we all have high hopes. The throwers, jumpers, everybody. Everyone is doing well, and you can see where they are stepping up. The medal tally will be good as always. Jamaica always shows up. We always get at least five medals, and I think we are aiming to get eight to 10 medals in Paris,” he shared.
“I think the athletes will (maintain their performance). Jamaica is always up there. We are still the sprint capital of the world, and I think we will continue to dominate,” Bolt ended.
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