Swiatek, who has claimed four grand slam titles on the clay surface at Roland-Garros, continued her dominance on Tuesday as she emerged a 6-3 6-4 victor.
Wang started the match confidently, moving the world number one around the court early on, but Swiatek found her rhythm, earning a decisive break point in the sixth game before cruising to the first set.
The top seed managed to find a break in the opening game of the second set, but that lead proved difficult to maintain as Wang broke back instantly to take the next two games on the spin.
Swiatek, however, broke for a 3-2 lead and held her serve in the following game, but Wang continued to put on the pressure, winning her next two games to level the game.
The Pole would find yet another break of serve in the ninth game and was able to hold out to secure her passage to the quarter-finals in the French capital.
Swiatek will face Danielle Collins in the next round.
Data Debrief: Swiatek fights off inspired Wang
While the scoreline looked comfortable for Swiatek, it was far from it on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In the opening set, Swiatek had 11 unforced errors compared to Wang's eight, while also hitting only nine winners.
But in a game filled with break points, Swiatek showcased her ruthless streak, converting four and saving six of the eight she faced.
The top ranked seed was pushed all the way by her American opponent, but came through a third-set decider to win 6-1 2-6 4-1 after Collins was forced to retire.
Swiatek asserted her dominance early on, racing into a 3-0 lead and remained in control for the rest of the first set, with Collins no match for the Pole.
However, Collins started with a three-game lead of her own in the second set, looking a completely different player to the one who first stepped out on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The world number one did have two chances at 5-2 down to put the pressure back on her opponent, but Collins remained composed to take the game to a deciding third set.
But Swiatek would find her rhythm once again, racing into a four-game lead as Collins took a medical timeout off-court.
The American would emerge back on court to win her first game of the set but retired immediately after, handing the win to her opponent.
Swiatek will continue her quest for a fifth success at Roland-Garros on Thursday where she will face Zheng Qinwen, who beat Angelique Kerber.
Data Debrief: Swiatek marches on, just
Swiatek's love affair on the clay courts in the French capital continued, but it did not come without its nervy moments.
Despite dominating the opening set, Collins was impressive with her serve, scoring seven aces in the contest compared to Swiatek's two.
Swiatek's triumph saw her become the first Polish player in history to reach the Olympics semi-finals in the singles.
Long jumper, Andwuelle Wright, and 400m hurdler, Sparkle-Ann McKnight, will not compete at the Games in Tokyo after their covid-19 tests returned positive results. A coach, Wendell Williams will also miss the games, after becoming the third positive result.
With less than 24-hours to compete, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee revealed the breaking news via social media.
“Two Team TTO athletes and one official received positive test results following daily routine Saliva Antigen tests at the Olympic Village. This came following two Nasopharyngeal PCR verification tests in accordance with established TOKYO2020 COVID-19 protocols, countermeasures, and guidelines.
The three members have been placed into quarantine at an approved hotel facility for foreign athletes and officials.
Former Carifta gold medallist and Trinidad and Tobago’s national long jump record holder, Wright, also confirmed the news via social media. The aspiring athlete is disheartened by the circumstances but is happy that he is healthy and well.
“The Olympics has come [and] gone for me and my heart hurts more than anything else. I am devasted, confused and heartbroken. My coach and I both tested positive for COVID-19 virus days before I had to compete, after receiving six (6) negative test and I had to withdraw from the games,” he posted.
“More Importantly I’m okay although I don’t know what “okay” looks like right now but I’m happy to be alive and breathing.”
23-year-old Wright, who is from Tobago, said he was fully vaccinated and was not showing any symptoms during his time at the Olympic Games.
“[I was] experiencing zero symptoms of this virus also being fully vaccinated, meaning my Olympic dreams and everything we worked hard towards was shattered.”
McKnight, previously represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics, reaching the semifinals on the second occasion.
Williams was a former Trinidad and Tobago national long jump record holder. He held the previous mark of 8.14m since 1999. However, Wright leaped to an impressive 8.23m to eclipse the feat his coach had achieved.
The 30-year-old, who finished fourth in the 400m final in Paris in a national record 43.78, collected a cheque for $187,500 from acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Community Development, David Roberts, at its head office in Port of Spain.
“Jereem’s performance at the recent Paris 2024 Olympics games and his subsequent bronze medal at the Diamond League, showed true grit and a determination to succeed,” T&T’s Minister of Sport, Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, told Trinidad Express.
“We at the Ministry are committed to ensuring that athletes are given all that they need to reach their highest levels of performance,” she added.
The funding was awarded under the Elite Athlete Assistance Programme (EAAP) designed to help athletes like Richards to cover costs including training, international competition and travel fees as well as other essential expenses.
A Ministry release on September 11 stated that, “similar to other athletes, the Ministry has continuously supported Richards’ athletic development which allowed him to successfully compete on the international stage. In 2019, Jereem Richards was awarded $125,000 and $187,500 in 2021. In 2022, he received $250,000 and in 2023 he was awarded a further $250,000.”
Richards is also a World Indoor 400m champion from 2022, a two-time Commonwealth Games 200m champion from 2018 and 2022 and a World Championship 200m bronze medallist from 2017.
Tatum, a star of the NBA last season with the all-conquering Boston Celtics, had to settle for a bench role at the Paris Games.
He played 11 minutes in Saturday's gold medal game as Team USA saw off hosts France to take the Olympic crown for a fifth straight time.
Tatum did not play at all in two of the USA's games – the group-stage and semi-final meetings with Nikola Jokic's Serbia.
But that does not necessarily mean he would not want to feature for Team USA at the Los Angeles Games in four years.
"It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I'm not going to make any decision off [of] emotions.
"If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028, it is four years from now and I [would have] to take time and think about that.
"So I'm not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually.
"A lot of people text me and reached out and said 'Make sure this fuels you,' which I appreciate. There's a lot of people that care about me.
"I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I'm still human.
"I've sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment it is tough. You're not necessarily worried about fuelling for November or [whenever] the [NBA] season is, but like I said, it's something I'm going to take away from this and learn from this experience.
"It's definitely challenging and humbling at the same time."
Success in the men's basketball was one of 40 golds Team USA scooped at the Paris Games, as they topped the medal table with 126 overall (44 silver, 42 bronze).
China placed second overall, matching Team USA's tally of golds but collecting just 27 silver and 24 bronze.
France might have fallen short in the basketball but they enjoyed a brilliant Games overall to finish fifth.
In total, the world record was beaten five times throughout the event, with Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Merchant continually upping their level in a dominant performance.
They started the record-breaking in their opening qualifier at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yveslines velodrome on Monday, taking 0.15 seconds off the previous record.
In an astonishing 10 minutes, it was soon taken away from them by Germany, with New Zealand then eclipsing it as they booked a place in the final race.
However, Team GB took it back once more in their heat against Canada, shaving it down to 45.338 seconds.
And they pulled off something special in the final, breaking the record for a third time as Finucane got them across the line in 45.186, earning Great Britain their first-ever women's team sprint medal, of any colour, at the Olympics.
New Zealand finished 0.473 seconds behind them to claim silver, while Germany took the bronze medal.
Spendolini-Sirieix claimed bronze at the Paris Olympics in the women's synchronised 10m platform, alongside Lois Toulson.
It is the 19-year-old's first medal. She was Team GB's youngest diver at the Tokyo Games at just 16.
Daley also made an early Olympic debut, competing in Beijing in 2008 at 14 years old. Now 30, he added to an already stellar medal collection in Paris, winning silver in the men's synchronised 10m platform with Noah Williams.
And Spendolini-Sirieix is grateful for the influence Daley has had on both her and the sport.
"I really feel like Tom has been the pioneer for diving. He’s really put diving on the map," she said while speaking to Stats Perform at Adidas house.
Daley became the first British diver to win four Olympic medals when he took gold in the 10m synchro at Tokyo 2020 with partner Matty Lee, to add to his three bronze from previous Games.
“Tom has done so much for our sport and as a team-mate, he's been really, really supportive," added Spendolini-Sirieix.
"He makes us laugh with his terrible dad jokes. But he just brings the fun, he brings the excitement and he brings the energy."
Asked whether she thought Daley would compete in Los Angeles in 2028, Spendolini-Sirieix was unsure, but partner Toulson chipped in: "It wouldn't surprise me, knowing Tom."
Just as his personality away from the pool is infectious, Daley's success in it has also rubbed off on the rest of his team.
In Paris, Team GB have the second-best medal haul in diving, only second to China.
They made history by winning medals in all synchro events, with one silver and three bronze.
"Now I really do feel like we've all put diving on the map, and that's the power of sport, it's the power of the Olympics,” said Spendolini-Sirieix, who also finished sixth in the women's 10m platform.
"We can really broadcast the hard work that we've been putting on. And I really do hope that more people tune into diving and try diving, because it's really a beautiful and unique sport."
Spendolini-Sirieix argues that such a feat would not be possible without the support of those behind the scenes.
"We are the ones that are diving, but we really feel like everyone dives with us in our hearts and with us behind our backs. It takes a village to create an athlete," she said.
"Having our family here as well to celebrate with us is the best part. It’s honestly the most amazing feeling."
Team USA – who have won gold at the last four editions of the Olympics – looked set to miss out on Saturday's final when Serbia entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead.
NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 17 points and 11 assists for Serbia, who led by as many as 17 points at one stage in the first half.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points for Serbia while Aleksa Avramovic had 15, but Serbia were unable to hold on and avenge their 110-84 loss to the USA in the group stage.
Golden State Warriors star Curry carried the USA's offense for most of the game, though it was LeBron James' driving layup that tied the contest at 84-84 with under four minutes remaining.
The USA struggled defensively for long periods but finally began to put real pressure on Serbia late in the fourth quarter, and a missed 3-pointer from Ognjen Dobric with Serbia 86-84 up proved decisive.
Curry put the USA ahead with a 3-point jumper on a James assist with two minutes and 24 seconds left, then layups from both players stretched their lead as Serbia wilted.
Twice Serbia drew within two points in the final minute, only for two Curry free throws to seal the USA's victory with eight seconds on the clock.
They will face hosts France – led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama – in Saturday's gold medal match, after Serbia face Germany for bronze.
James added 12 rebounds and 10 assists to his 16 points to finish with a triple-double, while USA team-mate Joel Embiid brought up 19 points.
After watching LeBron James and company scoop gold by beating the hosts 98-87 in Saturday's gold-medal match, Cheryl Reeve's team took on the hosts in a rematch for the final gold available at the Paris Games.
It looked like they might be on the end of a monumental upset when they trailed by 10 points midway through the third quarter, with the hosts capitalising on a series of sloppy turnovers from the USA.
The USA rallied from there and had inched ahead by the start of the fourth quarter, only for two free throws from Marine Fauthoux to put France 53-51 up with five minutes to play.
It was American-born Gabby Williams who led France's charge in front of a buoyant home crowd, with the former WNBA first-round draft pick tallying 19 points and seven rebounds.
However, Team USA would find a second wind in an end-to-end finish, inching ahead for good when Kahleah Copper made two free throws with just five seconds on the clock.
France thought they had forced overtime at the death when Williams sank a terrific would-be 3-pointer, only for replays to show her foot was inside the arc, condemning the hosts to a 67-66 defeat in front of watching president Emmanuel Macron.
The United States' victory also ensured they topped the overall medal table for Paris 2024 – they matched China's haul of 40 golds but won 126 overall medals to China's 91, topping the tree for a fourth edition of the Games in a row.
Earlier on Sunday, Australia overcame Belgium 85-81 in the women's bronze-medal match, securing their first podium finish in the event since London 2012, when they beat Russia to finish third.
Steve Kerr's star-studded United States side required a thrilling comeback to beat Nikola Jokic's Serbia in the semi-finals on Thursday, but a far better start put them on course for glory against the hosts in Saturday's gold-medal match.
The USA went into half-time with a nine-point lead thanks to some excellent early work from Devin Booker, though Guerschon Yabusele's 15 first-half points kept France in it, the highlight being a poster dunk on LeBron James.
France shot just 3-of-16 from field range through the first two quarters but got hot in the third quarter, outscoring the USA 25-23 to give themselves hope of a comeback.
Roared on by a vocal crowd at Bercy Arena – where Joel Embiid received plenty of jeers after rejecting the opportunity to represent France – the hosts made up more ground early in the fourth, thanks primarily to the efforts of Victor Wembanyama.
The NBA Rookie of the Year finished with a game-high 26 points – his first 20-point haul at the Paris Games – while also adding seven rebounds, dragging France to within three points with just under three minutes remaining.
However, Curry took charge from there, quietening the crowd with a majestic 3-pointer, his fifth of the game, and adding a further three jumpers before the buzzer.
The Golden State Warriors star finished with 24 points and was 8-of-13 from 3-point range, having also produced an incredible 36-point performance in Thursday's win over Serbia.
A couple of Kevin Durant free throws and a Booker layup helped the USA stetch their lead in the dying stages, claiming a record-extending 17th Olympic gold in men's basketball.
France, meanwhile, had to settle for a third silver in men's basketball, having also been beaten finalists at London 1948 and Sydney 2000.
USA Basketball announced that a player had enter the protocols although they did not identify who, although he has widely been reported as Beal.
The Wizards guard played 30 minutes in Tuesday's 108-80 win over Argentina and was joint top scorer with 17 points, while he started both defeats to Australia and Nigeria.
“A member of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team has been placed under USA Basketball’s health and safety protocols,” the federation wrote in Wednesday's statement.
Beal could still be replaced in Team USA's final 12-member team for the Tokyo Olympics.
US Track and Field subsequently confirmed 100m victor Lyles raced despite testing positive for COVID-19, yet he still took bronze while compatriot Kenny Bednarek claimed silver.
Tebogo recorded a winning time of 19.46 seconds at the Stade de France, appearing in control from the off as he won just Botswana's third Olympic medal of any kind.
They previously took bronze in the men's 4 x 400 relay at the Tokyo Games three years ago, while Nijel Amos took silver in the men's 800m at London 2012.
Tebogo had already beaten Lyles in the semi-finals, running a time of 19.96 to the American's 20.08.
In Thursday's final, Bednarek followed Tebogo home with a time of 19.62, while Lyles was third with a 19.70 despite rumours circulating about his fitness in the build-up to the race.
After the final, Lyles was wheeled away from the track in a chair and US Track and Field revealed he had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Another American, Erriyon Knighton, just missed out on the podium with a time of 19.99, while Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic was fifth.
Bolt, who retired in 2017, has now held the title as the fastest man ever over 200m for 15 years thanks to his otherworldly 19.19 done to win gold at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
The 21-year-old Botswanan ran a personal best and African record 19.46 to claim his first Olympic title recently in Paris.
Tebogo’s time is the ninth fastest in history and makes him the fifth fastest man ever over the distance.
Most recently, Tebogo cruised to an impressive 19.64 to take the win at the Lausanne Diamond League on Thursday.
In an interview with The Inside Lane after Thursday’s race, Tebogo was asked about Bolt’s world record.
“I see it but I don’t want to put myself under that pressure. If it comes it will come eventually,” he said.
In terms of a timeline, Tebogo said the ideal time to try and go after it would be in about three or four years.
“We don’t have to push it this year or next year. Probably when we are 24, that’s when we could attempt something like that,” he said.
“I don’t think it will take long. Looking at what I did today and what I did in the 200m final in Paris, I don’t think it will take that long because I could see it. It’s about 10 metres away from me,” he added.
Tebogo’s next race will be at the Silesia Diamond League on Sunday.
Cancellara turned 40 last month and while many struggle after retiring from professional sport, the man nicknamed 'Spartacus' has embraced new challenges in and out of the saddle.
The 'Chasing Cancellara' platform enables cycling enthusiasts - ranging from beginners to semi-professionals - to compete against and pick the brains of the legendary double Olympic champion.
Asked how life after professional cycling is treating him in an interview to mark 100 days before the Tokyo Olympics start, Cancellara told Stats Perform News: "I'm busy, I have nothing to complain about.
"I'm enjoying meeting so many different people from different places and backgrounds. It is great the human connection you experience and it's not just about winning.
"I take great satisfaction from seeing people cross the line maybe hours after a winner, they have got a little lost or taken a different route but they have had a great time, they did not give up and that is what matters.
"It gives me goosebumps to see that. In life we need to challenge ourselves and I'm so happy to be part of getting people to do that. I love being able to give something back."
While crossing the finishing line first is no longer the objective for Cancellara, it was the only thing on his mind in his pursuit of a second Olympic gold medal five years ago.
The seven-time Monument winner had decided to quit at the end of the 2016 season and did not fancy his chances of even getting on the podium in his final Games in Brazil after returning from his last Tour de France devoid of confidence.
Yet a phone call from his coach Luca Guercilena changed Cancellara's mindset and from then on he was a man on a mission - which was accomplished when he blew his time trial rivals away on the 54.5 kilometre course.
Cancellara recalls: "When I came back from the Tour de France I was not confident and it had a big emotional impact with it being my last Tour. I had tears in my eyes when I left the Tour.
"I was flat and lacking confidence. Luca Guercilena called me and said I must get ready, he said my data was good and all of a sudden I had changed my mind completely because I couldn't have reached these numbers if I was not there (at the level of performance required). I said I want to win gold and if I do that in August, I will finish.
"I wanted to end my career on a high note and everything came together. The data was there, I had experience, luck, will and support."
Cancellara, who had won time-trial gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver in the road race, vividly remembers the race and standing on the top step of the podium.
He added: "It's such a different race. It's huge and the Olympics can crack you. For 54.5 kilometres you are purely focused on the outcome, you know there cannot be any mistakes.
"It was going to be an hour to one hour and 15 minutes of pure effort. I remember the two laps clearly, after the first I was quite a way ahead and Luca said 'remember it's two laps'!
"I was able to gain even more time and I remember it was such an emotional moment when I knew I had won gold. You feel proud of yourself, proud for Switzerland and everybody who helped me to achieve it.
"No words are needed for that moment you hear the anthem on the podium. That moment will never leave me. I don't look back in life, as you have to move forward.
"I know I am a two-time Olympic champion and all over the world people know about the Olympics."
For basketball there's the United States Dream Team, for football, it’s Brazil for track and field, surely the Jamaica women’s sprint team has to be right up there.
At the country’s national trials, Fraser-Pryce (10.71), Shericka Jackson (10.82), and Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.84) were the three athletes to secure an automatic spot. In Tokyo, as many predicted a few weeks later, the places were different, with Thompson-Herah taking gold, Fraser-Pryce silver, and Jackson bronze but the trio remained the same.
At the Jamaica trials, Briana Williams, the 2018 world junior champion, found herself with only a relay spot after clocking 11.01, a time that would have been good enough to win most national championships around the globe let alone make the team.
In such a competitive field, there is certainly very little room for error and a bad day could mean the difference between first and third or missing out entirely. Fraser-Pryce wouldn’t have it any other way.
“For me, I’m kind of glad that we have that competition because when you are in practice you have to always make sure that you are giving 100 percent at all times,” Fraser-Pryce told members of the media ahead of Saturday’s Diamond League meet in Eugene.
,“You don’t have room for any errors or any time for slacking off because there are so many other ladies who are behind, who are coming. So, it definitely forces you to be on your A-game and I think that’s good for me as an athlete.”
Fraser-Pryce will face off against Thompson-Herah, Jackson, and American Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m today.
She has described those reports as rumours and said she is on a well-deserved break following her record-breaking season during which she became the first woman to successfully defend 100 and 200m titles at the same Olympic Games.
Reports emerged on Thursday that following her outstanding season, Thompson-Herah had taken a decision to leave MVP and going forward will be coached by her husband, Derron Herah.
Late Thursday, the 2021 Diamond League 100m champion appeared on the Brother from Another show on NBC Sports, denouncing the reports.
"I am the fastest woman alive so they are going to create some sort of news to distract the world so it's rumours of course. I have seen articles in the media that I have died before, more than once. There are always rumours in the media, they are always targeting me, I don't know why,” she told hosts, Michael Smith and Michael Holley.
"It's probably because I didn't show up at practice. I am still on my rest period, so maybe they are just speculating why I am not at practice, but I just came back from the international circuit and we normally get like a month's rest and I am in my second week.”
Thompson-Herah set a new Olympic record of 10.61 while defending her Olympic 100m title and 21.53 to win back-to-back titles in the 200m. She won a third gold on Jamaica’s 4x100 relay team. After the Olympics, she ran the fastest series of times in history – 10.54, 10.64, 10.72 and 10.65 – to close out the season as the only woman to run four wind-legal times faster than 10.70.
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.
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.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 28-year-old double Olympic champion has put together a strong season. Thompson-Herah won all seven of her 100m races and finished the campaign with a world-leading time of 10.85 seconds, which was recorded at the Rome Diamond League in September.
In addition to Thompson-Herah, the list includes Femke Bol (Netherlands), Letesenbet Gibey (Ethiopia), Sifan Hassan (Netherlands), Peres Jepchirchir (Kenya), Faith Kipyegon (Kenya), Laura Muir (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Hellen Obiri (Kenya), Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) and Ababel Yeshaneh (Ethiopia).
The Jamaican will face still competition to land the prize, with world records broken this year by Gidey (5000m), Hassan (hour run), Jepchirchir (half marathon, women only), Rojas (triple jump, indoors), and Yeshaneh (half marathon).
The list will be trimmed to five athletes after voting takes place among the World Athletics Council (50 percent), World Athletics family (25 percent), and by fans (25 percent) by liking individual athlete graphics on World Athletics’ Facebook and Instagram or by retweets.
Thompson-Herah is the only Jamaican nominated on either the male or female list. American Dalilah Muhammad took the honour last year when she twice lowered the 400m hurdles world record.
Fresh off an impressive triumph at the Tokyo Games, Thompson-Herah was in no mood to slow down, and in fact, went considerably faster. The Jamaican pulled away from compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the final metres of the race to stop the clock at 10.54, just .05 second outside of the world record set by the United States' Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.
In almost identical fashion to Tokyo, Fraser-Pryce was second in 10.73, with Shericka Jackson third in 10.76.
Prior to the race, a lot of the attention was focussed on the return of flamboyant United States sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson who missed out on a match-up with the Jamaica trio at the Olympics, after serving a brief suspension for testing positive for marijuana.
Expectations had been heightened for the sprinter’s return after emphatically winning the US trials before the Games. In Eugene, however, she was nowhere to be found. Richardson got away slowly and never got into the race, ending at the back of the field in a pedestrian 11.14. Thompson-Herah now has the two fastest times outside of the longstanding world record set by Griffith-Joyner.
