At Rio 2016, Elaine Thompson-Herah achieved a significant breakthrough. After succeeding compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as the Olympic women’s 100m sprint champion, the then 24-year-old went on to win the 200m.
In doing so, she became the first woman to complete the Olympic sprint double since Florence Griffith-Joyner in Seoul in 1988, who has since passed away.
These two outstanding victories were the new Jamaican superstar’s debut in a big international competition. However, her record-setting achievements were far from over.
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E. Thompson-Herah Olympic Games
Thompson-Herah regained her 100m championship in a new Olympic record of 10.61 seconds at Tokyo 2020, before retaining her 200m title in a new personal best of 21.03 seconds and helping her nation’s 4x100m relay team win gold.
Emphatic. Devastating. Magnificent.
These comments perfectly reflected Elaine Thompson-Herah when the Jamaican sprinter achieved Olympic history at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 by winning three gold medals in track and field.
In June’s Jamaican trials for the 100- and 200-meter distances, the 29-year-old finished third, behind her formidable opponent Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson.
In Kingston, Fraser-Pryce placed second on the all-time women’s 100m list behind Florence Griffith-Joyner with a time of 10.63, but two weeks later in Hungary, Thompson-Herah defeated her with a season-best time of 10.71.
The stage was set for a titanic battle between the defending 100m champion and the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London gold medalist in Japan.
Both athletes breezed through the Tokyo heats and semi-finals, with Fraser-Pryce being somewhat faster, 10.73 to 10.76.
At the halfway point of the final, the two were tied, but Thompson-Herah appeared to find another gear at 70 metres and pushed ahead, with Fraser-Pryce narrowly edging off Jackson for silver.
Thompson-Herah Ran the Second-Fastest Time in History,
21.53 seconds, to become the first woman to win 100m and 200m Olympic gold medals back-to-back.
Christine Mboma of Namibia set a new world under-20 record to earn silver ahead of Gabby Thomas of the United States. You desire it? We own it. Live-stream all Olympic events on discovery+.
In front of an all-Jamaican podium, the 2016 Olympic 100m and 200m champion raced past her competitors to clinch the title ahead of double global gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Rio Olympic 400m medalist Shericka Jackson, as the first three all dipped under 10.80.
Since winning the sprint double in Rio five years ago, Thompson-Herah has endured a number of injury-related setbacks.
The 29-year-old threw her left arm in the air as she crossed the finish line, then let out a series of screams and collapsed in elation as the magnitude of her accomplishment dawned on her.
Last Words
Thompson-Herah is anticipated to be among the frontrunners for the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year Award, which will be awarded on December 1 in Monte Carlo. Thanks for reading our article E. Thompson-Herah Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
