Since she won her first sprint double in 2016, the first woman to do so since Florence Griffith-Joyner at the Seoul Games in 1988, Thompson-Herah failed to win a medal at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. However, at the Toyko 2020 Olympics this past summer, Thompson-Herah became the first woman in Olympic history to win back-to-back sprint doubles.
She set a new Olympic record of 10.51 in the 100m and set a lifetime best of 21.53 to win the 200m titles. She added a third gold medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team that set a new national record of 41.02, the third-fastest time in history.
Weeks later she won the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in 10.54, the second-fastest time ever run and then followed up with 10.64 to finish second to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in Lausanne and then 10.72 in Paris.
Speaking at a press conference this morning before she takes to the track on Thursday, the history-making Olympic champion said she has not yet had time to take it all in.
“It hasn’t sunk it as yet. I think because I knew I had a long season I don’t want to get too carried away, too excited and the focus is still continuing the season for next year and the years to come. After the season ends I can say hurrah, hooray and I watch back my videos and see what I have done and say yes, I did it,” she said.
“Being the fastest woman alive, I think I still haven’t known what I have done yet. Because I have put in all the work and I have achieved, it is not something I never expect myself to do but my expectations were not high but I think I surprised myself this entire season with everything that I have done so far.”
On Thursday, Thompson-Herah will line up against Dina Asher-Smith, Natasha Morrison, Javianne Oliver, Daryll Neita, Marie Jose Ta Lou and the Swiss pair of Ajla Del Ponte and Mujinga Kambundji in the 100m.
The September 5 meet to be held at the Weltklasse will be an opportunity for Alfred to solidify her class and status against some of the best in the world, while for Richardson, it will be a shot at redemption where possibly lowering the St Lucian’s colours is concerned.
That cool and wet August 3 night at the Stade de France will be fresh in the minds of both athletes, as Alfred became her country's first Olympic champion when she exploded from the blocks and maintained her speed and composure to hold off a charging Richardson, who had to overcome a slow reaction out of the blocks to make up ground.
Alfred, 23, later added more accolades and history to her name with a silver medal win in the 200m, becoming her island’s Saint Lucia's first-ever double Olympic medallist.
For Richardson, 24, making up ground after a slow start—which is somewhat of a bad habit, as she stumbled at US Olympic Trials and came back to win—underscored her blistering turn of foot.
Though her quality was always on display, many didn’t view her as a title contender until she swept past both Jamaican stalwarts Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson to win last year's World Championships title.
In this rematch between Alfred and Richardson, Great Britain’s European champion Dina Asher-Smith will also be added to the mix to get her shot at both, as she surprisingly missed out on the Paris Olympic final after she placed fifth in her semi-final.
It is indeed set to be an intriguing showdown between four of the world’s best female sprinters, as Switzerland's Mujinga Kambundji, who placed sixth in Paris, will also be aiming to make an impression on home soil.
Thompson-Herah, who won the 100/200m double at the 2016 Rio Olympics, created history in Tokyo earlier this month when she became the first woman to successfully defend both titles at the same Olympics.
She won the 100m in an Olympic record of 10.61, eclipsing the 10.62 set by Florence Griffith-Joyner at Seoul in 1988 and followed up by winning the 200m in a personal best of 21.53, which made her the second-fastest woman in history.
She then added a third gold medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m sprint relay team that established a new national record of 41.02.
The 21-year-old Richardson, who ran a personal best 10.72 in April, won the 100m at US trials in July in 10.86. However, she was subsequently banned for a month after testing positive for THC, a derivative of marijuana. Her omission triggered a debate about whether she would have won had she been allowed to compete in Tokyo.
However, the much-touted American will not only be facing the Olympic champion in the blue-ribbon sprint. She is also facing a motivated Fraser-Pryce, the second-fastest woman in the world this year and the third fastest all time, who is likely to be still smarting from her loss in the Olympic 100m final.
The 34-year-old two-time Olympic champion (2008, 2012) was considered the overwhelming favourite to land a third 100m Olympic title following her 10.63s run at the National Stadium in Kingston on June 5. However, she finished second to Thompson-Herah in 10.74.
The Olympic 100m bronze medalist Jackson, who ran a personal best 10.76 in Tokyo, has also been included in the line-up that will also feature, Tokyo relay gold medalist Briana Williams (10.97), Teahna Daniels (10.98), Javiane Oliver (10.96) and Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, who ran a personal best 10.78 in Tokyo.
Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji who has run a season-best 10.96, is also listed for the clash that is perhaps the fastest field ever assembled.
The Tokyo Olympics 100m silver medalist was speaking at a press conference Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she, Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson will once again line up for the 100m in a field that also includes local talents Mujinga Kamnundji, Ajla del Ponte and Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast.
Talk of the world record heated up last weekend when Thompson-Herah sped to a world-leading and personal best 10.54 while winning the blue-riband dash at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. The time is only 0.05s off the world record of 10.49.
Fraser-Pryce, who ran a personal best of 10.63 in June, believes that the world record is now being challenged is a boon for the sport and women’s sprinting.
“As for running the world record, Elaine is much, much closer than I am so it’s good to be able to challenge a record that for women that for a long time we thought was impossible,” she told media gathered for the press conference,” and it speaks to the evolution of sprinting and what mechanics can do to sprinting and the different things that are involved in sprinting, so to be able to be in that conversation or to have that conversation is truly remarkable.”
Fraser-Pryce, who ran 10.73 while finishing second to Thompson-Herah in Eugene, expressed optimism that fast times – maybe even the world record - can be achieved on the track in Lausanne on Thursday.
“I know that Lausanne has a very good track; I ran 10.7 here in 2019 after coming off a plane, so I know it’s a very good track. So, hopefully, tomorrow the ladies will have a superb race and we will see how it goes at the end.”
The 30-year-old Kambundji had a stellar year in 2022 winning the World Indoor 60m dash in a national record 6.96, a time tied with Merlene Ottey’s as the fourth-fastest in history.
She won the 200m at the European championships and was a close second in the 100m. She was fifth in the final of the 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July where Fraser-Pryce won a record-extending fifth title.
Kambundji was also eighth in the 200m final won by Shericka Jackson. Fraser-Pryce won the silver medal.
On Monday, Switzerland’s fastest woman posted about her latest achievement.
“Sportswoman of the Year. Thank you for your support and congratulations to all the nominees.”
Shortly thereafter, the Jamaican superstar and athletics icon, fierce on the track but affable off it, replied “Congrats.”
The two will renew their rivalry in Budapest next summer when Fraser-Pryce goes after a sixth world 100m title and Kambundji makes another attempt to get onto the podium of track and field’s premier championship.
In a clash between the Tokyo Olympics 100m bronze medalist and the Swiss 60m champion, Mujinga Kambundji, the Jamaican proved to be no match for her European rival.
Jackson, who has a season-best 7.12, clocked 7.18 while finishing behind Finland’s Lotta Kemppinen, who ran a season-best 7.17 for second place and Swiss champion Mujinga Kambunji, who set a meet record 7.06.
Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes ran 7.26 for fifth place.
Jackson, 27, had cruised into the final clocking 7.20 to win her preliminary heat. Forbes was second in that heat in 7.26. However, Kambundji, who won the Swiss 60m title on February 26, in a season-best 7.05, broke the meet record of 7.12 when she won her heat in 7.11.
Meanwhile, Mike Rodgers of the USA won the men’s dash in 6.61 over Frenchman Jeff Erius (6.72) and his compatriot Dylan Vermont, who ran a personal-best 6.73 for third.
In the women's triple jump, Dominica's Thea LaFond jumped 14.12m to finish second to Portugal's Patricia Mamona's 14.15m.
Senni Salminen of Finland finished third with 13.93m
Williams turned back the challenge of Dutchwoman Lisanne de Witte and Switzerland’s Annina Fahr to win in 50.58, her second fastest time this season, trailing behind her 50.56 to finish second at Jamaica’s National Championships in June.
De Witte and Fahr’s times in second and third were 51.99 and 52.08, respectively.
Richards, the 2017 World Championship bronze medallist and two-time Commonwealth Champion, all in the 200m, won the half-lap event on Tuesday in 20.19 ahead of the Zimbabwean pair Makanakaishe Charamba (20.42) and Tapiwanashe Makarawu (20.48).
The 30-year-old Trinidadian will also compete in the 400m in Paris. He won gold in the distance at the World Indoor Championships in 2022.
Another Jamaican Olympian, Lanae-Tava Thomas, was narrowly beaten by the Ivory Coast’s Jessika Gbai in the 200m.
Gbai’s winning time of 22.57 just beat out Thomas’s 22.60 while Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji was just behind in third in 22.61.
Kemba Nelson ran 11.21 to finish third overall in the women’s 100m behind New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs (11.17) and Kambundji (11.20).
Kambudji’s time was the fastest time run in 23 years since Katerina Thanou ran a similar time in March 1999. Prior to Friday’s final, Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast was the fastest indoors with her time of 6.97 she ran in March 2018. The time also ties Jamaica's Merlene Ottey as the fourth-fastest all-time and bumped Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson Herah's shared time of 6.98 to ninth-best.
In what was a thrilling race to conclude the opening day of competition, the USA’s Mikiah Brisco claimed the silver medal in a lifetime best of 6.99 while her compatriot Mary-Beth Sant Price got third with 7.04.
Mere thousandths of a second separated the next four places as the gold-medal favourite, Ewa Swoboda of Poland, was fourth while Briana Williams and Shericka Jackson ran identical personal best times for fifth and sixth, respectively.
Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago was seventh in a season-best 7.11 while Brazil's Vitoria Rosa ran 7.21 for eighth.
The 29-year-old Jamaican, who opened her season with a 19.12m throw in Iowa City last week Friday, took the lead in the fourth round with a throw of 18.77m. However, that lead was short-lived as reigning World Indoor Champion Auriol Dongmo of Portugal produced a 18.90 to take the lead.
Canada’s Sarah Mitton then put 18.88m to relegate Dodd to third, a position she was unable to improve upon on her final two throws with marks of 18.67m and 18.37m.
Asher-Smith, meanwhile, won her 60m heat in a new personal best of 7.07s improving on her previous best of 7.08 set seven years ago. She would go even faster in the final clocking 7.04 to establish a new meet record, British record and lifetime best.
Poland’s Ewa Swoboda took the runner-up spot in a season best 7.09 while World Indoor Champion Mujinga Kambundji ran 7.11 for third place.
The Tokyo Olympic triple gold medallist clocked a season-best 7.08 after surging past Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambindji (7.11) and Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (7.13) to claim victory and become the fastest Jamaican woman in the event this year.
Briana Williams by virtue of her 7.09 run at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York on February 6.
Still, the fastest woman alive was not completely satisfied.
“It’s been a good one. I am healthy. I got a season-best, 7.08. I would have loved to have gone below seven seconds but I am not rushing it. I wish it had two rounds to get me warmed up but I am happy for the win,” she said afterwards.
She reiterated that her primary focus this season is the World Athletic Championships in Oregon in July where she plans to improve on her previous showings at the championships where she has never won a gold medal.
She plans to rectify that this year.
“I only have a silver medal from 2015 so I am just working towards having a world championship title in either the 100m or 200m.”
She also praised the fans in the stadium for the atmosphere they generated, especially coming off a season when fans were not allowed into the stands at the Olympic Games in Tokyo where she created history last summer.
“The crowd was awesome. They came out and they supported us. We wanted that last year; because of Covid, we had no spectators. I was just happy for the crowd to come out to see us dominating on the field.”
Thompson-Herah races next in Poland on Tuesday.
The athlete dubbed the fastest woman alive lived up to the name as after a poor start that saw her trailing Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, Thompson-Herah turned on the after-burners and stormed through the field to win over the Swiss, who ran a season-best 7.11 for second place.
Third was the vastly improved Daryll Neita, who crossed the line in a lifetime best 7.13.
Thompson-Herah’s winning time put her 0.01 ahead of Briana Williams as the fastest Jamaican woman over 60m this year.
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.
