August 24, 2021
Elaine Thompson-Herah is burning up the race tracks with phenomenal back to back wins at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and now at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon where US rival Sha’Cari Richardson called her and her Jamaican compatriot out and end up in last place over the weekend.
Simply put we are looking at the female version of Usain Bolt out there. She broke Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 30 plus year old world record, running 10.61 in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics this summer and winning back to back Olympic gold medals to do it.
Jamaicans everywhere must be proud of the sister of the soil. She was bred and raised in Jamaica and a product of their sports system, a system that is now developing into a world class elite training system that needs to be looked at very seriously for track and field athletes around the world who want to get better.
The Jamaican track and field regimen is ending up like the Cuban boxing programme. Any amateur who wants to be a good amateur knows that if you want the best training in boxing you have to spend time in Cuba if they allow you too. The consistency in the programme cannot be equalled.
With that being said the next Olympiad will be in Paris in 2024. Hopefully the COVID-19 will be behind us and we will have a spectacular show for all to see. Thompson-Herah will be 32 years old by that time, not that old in today’s time considering all of the supplements and training aids today’s athletes have at their fingertips, but this is the 100m dash. There has to be some young up and comer who wants to make an impression, but 10.61 is going to be hard to beat.
If Thompson-Herah stays healthy she should go into 2024 as the odds on favourite to win again, giving her the coveted three-peat. Not very many athletes in the world can three-peat at the Olympics in any sport, let alone track and field.
It is something we should want to see. We are with Thompson-Herah to do it as well.