It is well known that Thomas has Jamaican roots, something she is proud of and she enjoys the love and support of the island’s rabid track fans. On Thursday, she chose to set the record straight about how she feels about her Jamaican heritage.
Asked about her Jamaican connection, the Olympic bronze medallist responded, “So, my grandfather is actually Jamaican, he lives there, he is from there. My dad didn’t grow up there but he is Jamaican and he always likes to bring the culture home with me and made sure I was proud to be Jamaican.
“And I do really love the fan base in Jamaica, they have really been so amazing and supportive and I do make sure everyone knows that I am Jamaican because I do believe that is where I get my fast roots from. I am not going to sugar coat it because that’s what it is. And we grew up loving track and my family has always been a big track family so I if could just run, run well and make my grandmother and my dad proud, then I would have done my job.
Thomas, who holds the world-leading time of 21.60, will face a tough field that includes NCAA champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia as well as the talented Britons, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita and the dangerous Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas, who has run a lifetime best of 22.15 so far this season
Reflecting on her race, Alfred shared, "I was specially prepared today not to make a mistake and to just focus on myself and my own race. I felt great during the race but now my legs hurt a bit because I did a heavy training. Of course, I cannot complain right now, as I am taking home the Diamond League win. I am getting better with each race, I run more relaxed as well. I feel confident. I know that all I need to do is to trust my coach and to trust myself. The coach knows what is best for me. I really love this Monaco crowd and the introduction of the event with the lights. I will get back to practice and just focus for my preparations for Paris."
Alfred's victory is a clear indication of her growing form and confidence as she heads towards the Olympic Games. Her ability to perform under pressure and continue improving with each race makes her a strong contender for the podium in Paris.
Cuba's Leyanis Perez Hernandez emerged victorious in the women's triple jump with a leap of 14.96m. She edged out Dominica's Thea LaFond, who jumped 14.87m, and Ukraine's Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, who recorded 14.81m. Notably, Jamaican athletes Shanieka Ricketts and Ackelia Smith finished fourth and fifth with jumps of 14.67m and 14.30m, respectively.
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo dominated the men's 200m, winning in 19.87 seconds. Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic finished second in 20.02 seconds, while Uganda's Gracious Tarsis Orogot took third in 20.32 seconds. Matthew Hudson placed fourth with a time of 20.43 seconds.
In an epic showdown in the men's 400m hurdles, USA's Rai Benjamin triumphed over Olympic champion Karsten Warholm, clocking a blazing 46.67 seconds. Warholm finished a close second in 46.73 seconds, with Brazil's Alison dos Santos taking third in 47.18 seconds. Jamaica's Malik James-King also impressed, running a fast 47.73 seconds despite hitting hurdles nine and 10, which slowed his momentum.
USA's Quincy Hall delivered a world-leading and lifetime best performance in the men's 400m, winning in a commanding 43.80 seconds. Fellow American Vernon Norwood finished second with a season's best 44.34 seconds, while South Africa's Lythe Pillay took third in 44.58 seconds.
Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland was a dominant winner in the women's 400m, clocking 49.17 seconds. Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands finished second with a lifetime best of 49.64 seconds, and Kendall Ellis of the USA took third in 50.39 seconds.
The Monaco Diamond League meeting showcased some of the world's best athletic talents, setting the stage for an exciting build-up to the Olympic Games in Paris. With performances like Julien Alfred's and others, the anticipation for the upcoming Olympics continues to grow.
The 22-year-old Alfred, the NCAA 100m champion, has experienced a meteoric rise through the rankings over the past 18 months, having gone undefeated at 100 metres in the 2022 NCAA season, and picking up a silver medal in the same event at the Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022.
Her fine form has continued into 2023, with Alfred becoming the first woman in NCAA history to break the seven second barrier at 60 metres, and in doing so securing her spot as the all-time second fastest indoor sprinter at both 60 and 200 metres.
The seven-time NCAA Champion capped a remarkable first half to the year by taking gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador earlier this month.
“Julien is an incredible athlete, one we believe will continue to make history on the track,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Sports Marketing at PUMA. “She is the true embodiment of forever faster and our ambition to be the fastest brand on the planet – we’re thrilled to have her join the PUMA family.”
“PUMA has such legendary status in athletics, so the decision to join their family was an easy one,” said Julien Alfred. “I feel that together we can achieve great things on and off the track.”
Now ranked in the top four at both 100 and 200 metres, Alfred will wear PUMA’s evoSPEED TOKYO NITRO track and field spikes, which offer the ultimate combination of power and propulsion thanks to PUMA’s NITRO Elite foam technology in the forefoot and a full-length Pebax plate
Alfred won her professional debut at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia on Sunday, clocking in at 9.89 to defeat the previously undefeated American Sha'Carri Richardson who ran 9.97.
Ricketts, the only Jamaican winner at the meet where Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Tajay Gayle and Natoya Goule also competed, jumped 14.29m in her ‘final-three' attempt to defeat Yulimar Rojas and Patricia Mamona, who jumped 15.12m and 14.66m, respectively to qualify for the jump-off but fouled their final jumps.
Ricketts qualified with her opening-round jump of 14.75m.
“I am very pleased I was able to get a good series out tonight and that shows us where we are with our preparation so I am looking to build upon what we did tonight ahead of Tokyo in a few weeks,” said Ricketts who also jumped 14.65m during the preliminary round.
“The girls are doing extremely well in the triple jump and they keep the level high up. I am doing well in the competition and in training so it is a huge motivation for me to do better each time. With the ‘final-three’ rule, I really have to dig deep because this is the jump that matters, so this is pushing me to stay on top of my game.”
She said as she continues her preparation for the Olympics, she is focused on making minor improvements that will ensure success.
“There are always things to improve on but we will be focusing on the last phase in order to see bigger jumps in Tokyo. I am not putting any pressure on myself but I would be disappointed if I was leaving without a medal,” she said.
Gayle, the 2019 long jump world champion, was on the wrong end of the ‘final-three’ rule in his competition. He went into the ‘final-three’ round with the best jump of 8.29, along with Miltiadis Tentoglou and Thobias Montler, who jumped a personal best 8.27m in the earlier rounds.
Tentoglou had the only legal jump in the final round with 8.24m while Gayle and Montler both fouled.
On the track, Fraser-Pryce ran 22.48 to finish third in the 200m that was won by Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who rebounded from her loss in Hungary on Tuesday to clock 22.23 getting by Marie Josee Ta Lou just before the finish line. Ta Lou ran a season-best 22.25 for second place.
Natoya Goule ran her second-fastest time this season, 1:57.35, but finished fourth in the 800m. The three women who beat her all ran personal best times.
Great Britain’s Laura Muir won the race in 1:56.73 ahead of compatriot Jemma Reekie, who ran 1:56.96.
The USA’s Grace Kate was third 1:57.20.
