On the heels of her record-breaking, history-making season Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah is reportedly parting ways with MVP Track Club, just under 18 months after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce departed to join Elite Performance.
Nationwide News reported this morning that Thompson-Herah, who created history at the Tokyo Olympic Games in August, has written to MVP and to her shoe sponsor Nike, informing them of her decision.
MVP President Bruce James told Nationwide that there are ongoing negotiations with the athlete about her future at the club.
Sportsmax.TV sources have subsequently indicated that Thompson-Herah has indeed informed the club that she is leaving. However, there is no indication yet as to where she might end up.
In Tokyo, Thompson-Herah became the first woman to defend 100 and 200m titles at the same Olympic Games. She set an Olympic record of 10.61 in the final of the 100m and then set a national record of 21.53 over 200m, the second-fastest time in history and eclipsed Merlene Ottey’s 25-year-old national record of 21.64.
Following her Olympic campaign where she also won gold in the 4x100m relay, Thompson-Herah ran times of 10.54, 10.64 and 10.65 making her the only woman to run four legal times under 10.70s. She also won the 100m Diamond League title in Zurich.
MVP’s history has been replete with the departures of major athletes. Sherone Simpson, Asafa Powell, Melaine Walker and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have all left the club over the past decade, in some instances citing a conflict with the club’s hierarchy.