The 21-year-old St. Lucian, who won the NCAA Indoor 60m and 200m double earlier this season, sped to a meet record and collegiate leading time of 10.83 to comfortably be the fastest qualifier to the Championships set for June 7-10 on her home track at the University of Texas's Mike A. Myers stadium.
Her Jamaican teammate, Kevona Davis, also made it through the preliminaries with an 11.06 effort.
The Texas duo also made it through in the 200m with Davis running a season’s best 22.33 and Alfred running 22.45.
Arkansas’s Ackera Nugent, a two-time NCAA Indoor Champion, ran 12.69, a new meet record to advance fastest in the sprint hurdles. Her countrywoman, Texas Tech’s Demisha Roswell, also made it through with a season’s best 12.77.
Arkansas’s Nickisha Price and Joanne Reid both advanced in the one-lap event with personal best times of 50.49 and 51.49, respectively.
In the field, defending NCAA high jump champion, Lamara Distin of Texas A&M, easily cleared 1.85m to secure her opportunity to defend her title. Texas’s Ackelia Smith, world leader in the long jump, also booked her spot in the field for the triple jump with 13.96m.
Meanwhile, at the East Regionals in Jacksonville, Ohio State’s Yanique Dayle and Kentucky’s Anthaya Charlton made it through in the 100m.
Dayle, the Jamaican Senior, produced a big personal best 11.05 while Charlton, the Bahamian Freshman, produced 11.08 (2.3 m/s) to advance.
Dayle also advanced in the 200m with a season’s best 22.58 while LSU’s Brianna Lyston also made it through with 22.92.
In the field, Georgia’s Vincentian Junior, Mikeisha Welcome, jumped 13.50m to make it through in the triple jump.
Like most of us, there are many things she would love to get a second crack at, but the one that seems to have been stuck in her craw is the finals of the Women’s 100m at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea in 2011.
The two-time Olympic 200m champion had been having a great year in 2011. She ran a personal best 10.76 in Ostrava on May 31 and went into the World Championships in fine form.
“I think I was on pace to win,” VCB recalled during a recent YouTube interview with marketing consultant Tanya Lee.
Campbell Brown eased through the first round in 11.18, a time that was third fastest of the Jamaicans. Kerron Stewart, the 2009 silver medallist, and defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce both clocked 11.12 and eased into the semi-finals.
In the semis, VCB clocked 11.06 to qualify for the finals. It was the fourth-fastest time behind the 11.02 from the USA’s Carmelita Jeter, 11.03 from Fraser-Pryce and 11.05 from Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago.
However, the draw was unkind to the 2007 100m champion and she ended up in lane 8.
From there, things did not go according to plan.
“I messed up so badly at the start,” VCB explained.
“I do not like to make excuses but when I think about that race, I did not hear the gun clearly. The starting system behind us was a weird one. They had speakers behind us but there was no speaker behind me so think I heard the echo of the gun so I started slow.”
Left in the blocks Campbell-Brown, fuelled by her indomitable spirit, raced through the field, getting by Stewart, then Fraser-Pryce and just squeezed past Baptiste. However, she ran out of real estate crossing the line second in 10.97s. Jeter won the gold in 10.90s with Baptiste taking the bronze in 10.98.
“I made up a lot of ground. I almost caught Carmelita but I was too late; so if I could redo that race I would and hope to react a little better, challenge Carmelita better and maybe the result would have been different.”
Thompson, who ran a personal best and world leading 9.77 to claim his maiden National 100m title on June 28, got his usual brilliant start to find himself comfortably ahead of the field at the halfway point of the race on Tuesday.
When he got to about 70m, Thompson eased up and looked left and right before crossing the line in an impressive 9.91.
2023 World Championship silver medallist Letsile Tebogo ran a season’s best 9.99 in second while South Africa’s Akani Simbine ran 10.01 in third.
In the Women’s equivalent, runner-up at the Jamaican National Championships, Tia Clayton, ran 11.06 to finish second behind American Tamari Davis who ran 11.00. Krystal Sloley ran 11.15 for third.
The Stephen Francis-coached sprinter produced a personal best 9.82, the joint, second fastest time in the world this year, to win the second heat. Ackeem Blake also went below 10 seconds for the first time this season with 9.95 to finish second behind Thompson in that heat and advance.
Sandrey Davison (10.00) and Sachin Dennis (10.04) both also made it through to Friday’s semi-finals from heat two after producing new personal bests while Nigel Ellis was the fifth semi-finalist from that heat with a time of 10.13.
Oblique Seville, who produced fourth place finishes at both the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, looked super comfortable on his way to 9.98 to win heat one ahead of Bryan Levell (10.07) and Jehlani Gordon (10.09). Levell’s time is a new personal best.
Julian Forte produced a confident 10.00 to win the third heat ahead of defending National champion Rohan Watson (10.07) and Tyquendo Tracey (10.09). Jazeel Murphy produced a personal best 10.11 to also make it through from that heat alongside Travis Williams whose 10.13 was also enough to make it through.
2023 World Championship finalist Ryiem Forde won the fourth and final heat in 10.02 ahead of Kadrian Goldson (10.12) and Jelani Walker (10.21).
The semi-finals and final are scheduled for Friday.
Parchment sped to a season’s best mark 13.15 for victory in the Men’s 110m hurdles ahead of the USA's current world leader Devon Allen (13.20) and Jamal Britt (13.30).
The Women’s 100m hurdles was won by the USA’s Alaysha Johnson in 12.50 ahead of Puerto Rican Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.52) and Jamaican 2015 World champion Danielle Williams (12.67).
Double Olympic sprint champion Thompson-Herah cruised to victory in the Women’s 100m in 10.93 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle Lee-Ahye (11.06) and the USA’s Shania Collins (11.08).
Bahamian reigning Olympic and World 400m champion Steven Gardiner won the Men’s 300m in 31.52 ahead of the USA’s Vernon Norwood (31.81) and Jamaica’s Nathon Allen (32.04).
2011 World and 2012 Olympic 400m champion Kirani James of Grenada was victorious in the Men’s one-lap event in a season’s best 44.70 ahead of Jamaica’s Sean Bailey (45.42) and the USA’s Trevor Stewart (45.50).
Jamaica’s Junelle Bromfield was third in the Women’s equivalent in 51.82 behind Americans Gabby Scott (51.42) and Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu (50.42).
Moving to the 400m hurdles, Jamaica’s Janieve Russell ran a season’s best 54.09 to win ahead of teammates Shiann Salmon (54.43) and Rushell Clayton (54.90).
In the field, Jamal Wilson of the Bahamas was victorious in the Men’s high jump with 2.22m ahead of the USA’s Jeron Robinson (2.17m) and Puerto Rico’s Luis Castro Rivera (2.17m).
Thompson, who ran a wind-aided 10.73 at the Velocity Fest meet at Jamaica College last weekend, will compete in the 100m on the brand new track at the Stade Louis II.
Thompson was third in 100m in 2018 and second in the 200m in 2019.
The 2016 double Olympic champion is among five other athletes confirmed for the meet. They include 800m World Champion Donovan Brazier, World 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway, 3000m steeplechase world record holder, Beatrice Chepkoech, and European 400m Champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic.
The World Championship 100m bronze medallist from Eugene ran an easy 10.99 to win heat two and advance.
Antigua & Barbuda’s Joella Lloyd was next up, finishing third in heat three in 11.42 to advance. In heat four, Guyana’s Jasmine Abrams almost perfectly matched Lloyd, running 11.42 for third to advance.
Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle Lee-Ahye and the Bahamas’ Tynia Gaither ran 11.14 and 11.19, respectively, to finish first and second in heat five and progress.
Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte ran 11.31 to win heat six and advance while St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred (11.24) and Jamaica’s Remona Burchell (11.46) were the top two finishers in the seventh and final heat.
On the Men’s side, Nadale Buntin of St. Kitts & Nevis will be in the semis after finishing third in the first heat with a season’s best 10.37.
Rikkoi Brathwaite of the British Virgin Islands finished second in heat three in 10.42 to advance.
Next up was Jamaican 2014 Commonwealth Games 100m champion Kemar Bailey-Cole who ran 10.15 to finish second in heat four to progress.
Heat six saw Trinidad & Tobago’s Kion Benjamin produce 10.34 for second to move on while Jamaica’s Conroy Jones (10.28) and Trinidad & Tobago’s Eric Harrison Jr (10.37) both advanced from the eighth heat.
The tenth and final heat saw three Caribbean men advance. Trinidad & Tobago's Jerod Elcock won the heat in 10.26 while Guyana's Emmanuel Archibald (10.28) and St. Lucia's Stephan Charles (10.29) finished second and third, respectively.
Jamaican World Championship finalist Natoya Goule is now a Commonwealth Games finalist as well after running 1:58.39 to advance to the final as the fastest qualifier.
In the field, Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydricia Cameron both advanced to the final of the Women’s shot put after throws of 18.42m and 16.61m, respectively. Thomas-Dodd’s distance was the farthest in qualifying.
The Caribbean will be well represented in the final of the Men’s long jump as The Bahamas’ Laquan Nairn (7.90m), Jamaica’s Shawn-D Thompson (7.85m), Guyana’s Emmanuel Archibald (7.83m), Dominica’s Tristan James (7.65m) and Trinidad & Tobago’s Anduelle Wright (7.58m) will all be present.
Jamaica’s Traves Smikle (64.90m) and Roje Stona (58.35m) will both be in the final of the Men’s discus throw alongside Grenada’s Josh Boateng (56.51m).
If she has her way, if the Olympics are held in Tokyo next year, she will be in a pantheon of one- the only female sprinter to successfully defend an Olympic sprint double at the same Olympics.
She believes it is possible but it depends on one key factor.
“(Being) healthy is key because when I am healthy I am in the best shape of my life, I don’t think I have reached that yet. I just want to maintain that health. I really want to capture back my double at the Olympics,” she said while speaking on the Drive Phase Podcast with host Dalton Myers.
“I want to retain my titles.”
When she won the sprint double in Rio, the achievement thrust her into the global spotlight as one of the greatest-ever female sprinters and made her a national treasure in a country known for athletic icons like Herb McKenley, Donald Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt.
However, unlike Fraser-Pryce and Bolt, Thompson-Herah has so far failed to build on that legacy. Injury and illness robbed her of possible gold medals at the 2017 World Championships in London and again at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where she finished fourth in the 100m final, having gone into the meet with the joint fastest time in the world.
She said she doesn’t intend to dwell on those disappointments and will continue to work hard, hoping that that elusive World Championships gold medal will soon be hanging from her neck.
Meantime, she has other goals in mind.
“I still want to get below that 10.7 barrier,” said the woman who shares Jamaica’s national record of 10.70 with two-time Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
“I think I have it in me. It’s just about the time for it to come.”
She also believes she can go faster than her 200m 21.66 PB set in 2015 when she won the silver medal at the World Championships in Beijing, China.
“Once I am healthy anything is possible,” she said.
The 30-year-old ran a pedestrian, by her standards, 11.23 to win comfortably win ahead of Racers Track Club’s Jodean Williams (11.38) and Titans International’s Shurria Henry (11.76).
This race almost never happened, however, as Thompson-Herah revealed in a very candid post-race interview that 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.
Prior to Saturday’s race, Thompson-Herah’s last competitive outing was a 200m race at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on April 14 where she ran 23.23 to finish second.
Between then and now, the sprinting superstar has struggled with injuries such as a persistent Achilles injury which hampered her for most of the 2022 season, shin splints and a knee injury which Thompson-Herah said “shut down my entire body to the point where I could not do anything.”
“The past couple months have been rough. Most days I’m not able to do anything so I’m just grateful I was able to be here in spikes. I’ve been bouncing spikes and track shoes so, to come out here and get a clean race, God is good,” said Thompson-Herah.
“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.
Despite her Olympic exploits, she has yet to win an elusive individual World Championship gold medal. Her best result in the 100m was her bronze medal from last year’s Eugene World Championships while she won a 200m silver medal at the 2015 edition in London.
So, why is it that she can’t replicate her Olympic successes at the World Championships? This is a question Thompson-Herah still can’t answer herself.
“I don’t know why World Championship season always seems very challenging for me. I have not changed anything, I’m not doing anything wrong but it’s like a test to see if I can do it or not. This one has tested me a lot and it tested me last year as well,” she said.
With the Jamaican National Senior and Junior Championships scheduled for July 6-9, Thompson-Herah says that she is going there with no expectations of a fast time, but instead just hoping for a spot on the team to Budapest later this year.
“I didn’t see trials coming, honestly. I’m just going there, not expecting the result, just trying to get into the top three. I’m not looking for a fast time or anything. I just want to make it to the World Championships and take it from there,” she said.
This follows a poll by the International Sports Press Association, where a panel of 529 journalists from 114 countries voted for the champions of 2021. Joining Thompson-Herah in receiving the top honour is Polish footballer Robert Lewandowski, who has been named the AIPS Best Male Athlete of 2021.
The former Manchester High School student, who was named the World Female Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2021 earlier this month, retained her Olympic 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and added a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay. She also ran world-leading times of 10.54 and 21.53 over 100m and 200m respectively, moving to second on the world all-time lists for each discipline.
She topped the AIPS poll with 605 points, ahead of Spanish footballer Alexia Putellas (490 points) and Venezuela's world triple jump record-holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas (346 points).
Other athletics stars joining Thompson-Herah and Rojas in the top 10 are Kenya's Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who claimed 5000m and 10,000m titles in Tokyo as well as 1500m bronze.
Joining Lewandowski in the top 10 for the men's award are Norway's Karsten Warholm, who was named the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year, plus his fellow world record-holders and Olympic champions Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.
Thompson-Herah has also been named Athletics Weekly’s Female Athlete of the Year, NACAC Female Athlete of the Year and Diamond League Athletics’ Most Consistent Athlete in women’s sprints for 2021.
Thompson-Herah won four races on the Diamond League circuit for the year, in addition to her three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in July.
She ran times of 10.54 and 10.72 to win the 100m at the Eugene and Paris Diamond League meets on August 21st and August 28th, respectively, before winning the event at the Diamond League Final in Zurich in 10.65 on September 9th.
The former Manchester High School student also finished second in the 100m, at the Lausanne Diamond League, in 10.64 on August 26th.
Her only 200m win on the Diamond League circuit this year came in Gateshead where she ran 22.43 on July 13th.
The honour follows the trend of a trophy-filled festive period for the sprinter as she has already been named World Female Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, Athletics Weekly’s Female Athlete of the Year, and the NACAC Female Athlete of the Year in the month of December.
She is also widely favored to be named the RJR Sportswoman of the Year for 2021.
Thompson-Herah, who has endured a season riddled with injuries, took the win ahead of Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot (10.99), her first time below 11 seconds, and Gambia’s Gina Bass (11.12).
This was only Thompson-Herah’s second 100m race since finishing fifth at the Jamaican trials in July. She ran 11.00 for second at the Zurich Diamond League on August 31.
The 31-year-old was a member of Jamaica’s silver medal 4x100m team at the recently concluded World Championships in Budapest where she ran in the heats.
On the men’s side, Oblique Seville ran 10.01 to take the win ahead of Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (10.04) and South Africa’s Akani Simbine (10.12).
Seville narrowly missed out on a medal in Budapest, finishing fourth in 9.88, the same time credited to bronze medallist, Zharnel Hughes.
Another 100m finalist in Budapest, Ryiem Forde, was seventh in 10.28 on Monday.
Natoya Goule-Toppin rebounded from a sub-par showing in Budapest to take the 800m in 1:57.53, a new meet record.
The USA’s Addison Wiley ran a personal best 1:57.64 in second while Switzerland’s Audrey Werro ran a national record 1:58.13 in third.
Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who was upset by Danielle Williams in Budapest, came out on top with a meet record 12.56 in the 100m hurdles. The Netherlands’ Nadine Visser ran a season’s best 12.61 in second while the USA’s Nia Ali ran 12.63 in third.
Shashalee Forbes, a member of Jamaica's silver-medal winning 4x100m team in Budapest, ran 22.74 for second in the 200m behind the USA's Tamara Clark (22.64). Italy's Dalia Kaddari ran 22.86 for third.
Orlando Bennett ran 13.40 for third in the men’s 110m hurdles won by Switzerland’s Jason Joseph in 13.18. Senegal’s Louis Francois Mendy was second in 13.29.
In the field, 2019 World Championship silver-medallist Fedrick Dacres threw 66.19m for third in the discus behind World Champion Daniel Stahl (67.24m) and Kristjan Ceh (67.15m).
The time put her ahead of compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s 10.86 set last month.
Thompson-Herah, who went into the meet with the second-fastest time in the world this year, 10.88 at the Velocity Fest meeting in Kingston on August 8, was in complete control from the start pulling away mid-race to seal an impressive win.
The USA’s Aleia Hobbs was miles behind in a season-best 11.14 while Marie-Josee Ta Lou turned him her best run this year for third in her season-best of 11.14.
Thompson-Herah’s MVP teammate Anthonique Strachan was eighth in 11.42.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Akani Simbini won the men’s equivalent in 9.96 ahead of Arthur Cisse of the Ivory Coast, who crossed the finish line in a season-best 10.04.
Filippo Tortu of Italy claimed third in 10.09.
Julian Forte stumbled at the start and never recovered finishing sixth in 10.15.
Meanwhile, Armand Duplantis set a world outdoor best of 6.15m erasing the mark held by Ukraine’s Sergei Bubka since 1991.
Karsten Warholm, the metronome, set a new meet record of 47.07 in the 400m hurdles. He has now set four of the 11 fastest times in history this season.
Struggling for form primarily because of injury throughout most of the season, the double-double Olympic champion ran her best race this season with a commanding performance that would have inspired confidence that she is finally getting back to her best.
In her devastating wake was compatriot Natasha Morrison, who ran a season’s best 10.95 for second place. Great Britain’s Dina Asher Smith was third in 10.97.
Sashalee Forbes was fifth in 11.17.
This was Thompson-Herah’s third season best time in as many races after running 10.92 in Switzerland on September 4, which followed an 11.00 clocking on August 31.
Reigning double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson and controversial American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson are all down to compete in the showpiece event.
Thompson-Herah has the fastest season’s best heading into the race having run 10.89 to win her heat at the USATF Golden Games on April 16. She also ran 10.93 at the Puerto Rico International Athletics Classic on May 12 and 10.94 at the JAAA/SDF Jubilee Series at the National Stadium in Kingston on May 21.
Jackson has only run three 100m races so far this season with her best coming on May 7 when she ran 11.00 to win at the JAAA/SDF Jubilee Series at the National Stadium in Kingston. She also ran 11.12 for second at the Birmingham Diamond League on May 21 behind British 2019 World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, who will also be in the field in Eugene.
Richardson, who missed the Olympics last year after testing positive for marijuana at the US Olympic Trials, made her season debut on May 21 at the Duval County Challenge in Jacksonville running 11.27 to win.
The field will be rounded out by Ivorian speedster Marie Jose Talou, Jamaican Olympic 4x100m relay gold medallist Briana Williams, recently crowned World Indoor 60m champion Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland and Americans Teahna Daniels and Twanisha Terry.
The 2019/2020 track season was characterized by meet cancellations and the introduction of virtual formats because the pandemic that has been sweeping the globe since March. However, meets gradually returned largely before empty stadia but many athletes still managed to deliver world-class performances.
Among them was the 2016 double Olympic champion who was fastest in the world over 100m for 2020.
Thompson Herah’s 10.85 set in Rome on September 17 beat out her compatriot and rival Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who ended her year ranked second by virtue of the 10.86s run at the Velocity Fest meeting in Kingston’s National Stadium on August 22.
Rising star Sha’ Carri Richardson, in her first full season as a professional, was third fastest with 10.95.
The Bahamian sprint queen was equally impressive in the year in which she set a personal best of 10.98s in the 100m and the world’s best time of 21.98 in the 200m at the Back to the Track Meeting in Clermont, Florida on July 25.
Richardson capped her great year with a personal best 22.00 that was the second fastest for 2020 while Thompson Herah’s 22.19 ranked her third in the world for the year.
Miller-Uibo, who last year set 48.37 the sixth fastest time in history over the 400m was only second best for 2020 with 50.52 set in Monteverde, Florida on July 4. That time was only bettered by Lynna Irby’s 50.50, the fastest time in the world this year.
Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands clocked 50.98, which made her third best in the world for the year.
Thompson-Herah, who lowered her 100m personal best to 10.54 last season, will compete in the Women’s 100m at the meet which is a part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Series.
She will be joined in the race by her compatriot Briana Williams, Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle Lee-Ahye as well as the USA’s Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabby Thomas. Aleia Hobbs, who has already run 11.06 this season, Twanisha Terry and Javianne Oliver are also down to compete.
Jamaica's Damion Thomas, Trinidad and Tobago's Ruebin Walters and Barbados' Shane Brathwaite will all be in the field in the 110m hurdles while Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas will be in the 200m.
Jamaica's Shiann Salmon and Andrenette Knight will be involved in the 400m hurdles. Their countryman Leonardo Ledgister will be in the men's equivalent.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Shadae Lawrence will be in action in the Women’s discus going up against the USA’s Olympic champion from Tokyo, Valarie Allman, who threw a personal best and American record 71.46m in San Diego on April 8.
Elsewhere, in the field, Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyra Gittens will do battle with the USA’s Vashti Cunningham in the high jump. Gittens season-best of 1.95m, a height equaling her lifetime best, currently puts her at number two in the world. Jamaica's Kimberly Williamson will also be in the field.
2019 World Championship silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd will take part in the discus alongside fellow Jamaican Lloydricia Cameron.
The day started with Tina Clayton (11.47), Tia Clayton (11.52), Serena Cole (11.58) and Krystal Sloley (11.71) all advancing to the 100m final.
The final saw Tia run a personal best-equaling meet record of 11.23. Sloley also ran a personal best 11.27 for second while Tina, a two-time World Under-20 champion, ran 11.32 for third. Cole was fourth in 11.47.
This is especially true if she is to realize her goal of winning her first World Championship title this summer.
The triple-gold medallist at last year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, ran a smart 10.94s to win the 100m dash running into a headwind of -1.8m/s and then less than an hour later clocked a decent 22.55 to complete the double.
“Her performance is good,” her proud husband told Sportsmax.TV after the 100m final where had there been no headwind, Thompson-Herah’s time would have been 10.81.
“Today (Saturday) was mainly a training run; didn’t know she was going to run this fast. She was not necessarily pressing the gas, just basically the first 30 and trying to maintain and maintaining brought her 10.94, so we are right there. We just need to lighten up because we’re still heavy. So when the time is right we will lighten up and then go when we need to go.”
Lightening up, as Herah puts it, involves getting Thompson-Herah to approach her peak at the National Championships from June 23-26 but be at her best at the 2022 World Championships that begin in Eugene, Oregon on July 15, just over two weeks later.
He explained that with the two championships so close to each other, everything comes down to timing.
“The timing is very important. After the National Championships, we have two weeks before World Championships, so we almost have to peak in the championships and maintain that into the World Championships. We have to be very careful and very and very selective with races and how we approach races,” he said of Thompson-Herah’s preparation.
“What we are trying to do is getting her to peak for Oregon, not necessarily the trials. We will have to be in some kind of shape to indicate what we are going to do in Oregon so we have to be on that cycle now, six-seven weeks out, so by the time trials come around then we would have to be in similar shape as to what we would be in Oregon.”
The delicate nature of this phase is partly why they decided against flying to Birmingham, England last week for the Diamond League meeting after Thompson-Herah suffered some discomfort during training.
Herah explained.
“Even our decision to not go to Birmingham, we had everything in mind because we knew what the weather was going to be like and she was feeling some type of soreness. It’s not like we would go and then not run,” he said.
“We decided on the day not to go and as the week went along she started to feel a little better so I decided we would come out here today (Saturday) because we would have had a training session today anyway, so we got in two competitive runs but what we saw today was good enough.”
Thompson-Herah is down to compete at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, May 28. She lines up against some of the fastest women in the world including Dina Asher-Smith, World 60m champion, Mujinga Kambundji, Olympic gold medallist Briana Williams, Shericka Jackson, Marie Jose Ta Lou and Twanisha Terry.
Clayton ran a lifetime best and new national U20 record of 10.95 to claim gold ahead of teammate and schoolmate Serena Cole who clocked 11.14 for the silver medal. American Shanti Jackson ran a personal best 11.15 for the bronze medal.
Clayton won her first U20 title in Nairobi, Kenya in 2019.
Earlier, Brian Level advanced to the finals of the men’s 200m. Level won his heat in a new lifetime best of 20.34.
In the final, he will face the 100m champion Letsile Tebogo of Namibia, who set a WorldU20 record of 9.91 in the final of the 100m on Wednesday. Jamaica’s Bouwahgjie Nkrumie ran a new national U20 record of 10.02 for the silver medal.
Jamaica has won five medals so far at these championships.
There was a surprise winner in the 110m hurdles with Bahamas’ Antoine Andrews taking the gold in a World U20 leading 13.23.
He capitalized massively after gold medal favourite Matthew Sophia crashed into the final hurdle and stumbled across the line in third in 13.34, having to take solace in the fact that he set a national U20 record.
The USA’s Malik Mixon clocked a personal best of 13.27 for the silver medal.
