Jamaica's super sprinters leave everyone behind

As in 2016, the Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah captured Olympic gold in the 100 meters - and deprived her teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of her third major triumph. The 29-year-old also defied her unloved rival in the last meters of the final on Saturday in Tokyo. In 10,61 seconds, Thompson-Herah ran the second fastest time in athletics history after Florence Griffith-Joyner from the USA, who set a fabulous world record of 33 seconds 10,49 years ago.

Although the new Olympic champion didn't come close to this time, she did set the Olympic record: no sprinter has ever been so fast at the Summer Games. Griffith-Joyner triumphed in Seoul in 1988 in 10,62 seconds.

Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates her success. © APA/afp / BEN STANSALL

Fraser-Pryce finished second in 10,74 seconds and missed her third Olympic gold over 100 meters after 2008 and 2012. Shericka Jackson completed the success for Jamaica in third in 10,76. Thompson-Herah had already won the 2016 and 100 meters in Rio de Janeiro in 200. At the finish line they don't even look at each other The 34-year-old Fraser-Pryce was clearly disappointed; the two athletes didn't look at each other in the moments after they crossed the finish line. Four years after the birth of her son Zyon, she was hoping for another gold coup; in 2019 she was still world champion in Doha.

In her home country, “Pocket Rocket” or “Mommy Rocket”, as Fraser-Pryce, who is only 1,52 meters tall, is often called, is the biggest female star. After all, the four-time 100-meter world champion won her seventh Olympic medal ever - and can still go one better with her country's relay team.

Thompson-Herah also used her new best to trump Fraser-Pryce, who set 10,63 seconds in Kingston in June and ran the fastest time of 10,73 seconds in Saturday's semi-final in Tokyo.

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Jamaica's super sprinters leave everyone behind

Jamaica is not only the athletics country of Usain Bolt, but also of super sprinters. Gold, silver and bronze over 100 meters go to the Caribbean nation.

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