Hailing from Banana Ground in Manchester Parish, one of the more deprived parts of Jamaica, Elaine Thompson-Herah came under the care of her grandmother Gloria when she was only seven months old. Though her family have always said that she was “born to run”, Thompson-Herah was far from being the most outstanding sprinter at her school and only placed fourth in the 100m at the Jamaican Boys and Girls Championships in 2009. Two years later she was dropped from her school’s track and field team altogether. She was then spotted by athletics coach Stephen Francis, the founder of the MVP Track Club and the man behind Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s successful career. Obtaining a scholarship to the University of Technology in Kingston, Thompson-Herah started to become the sprinter her family always believed she could be.
Making progress
In crediting Francis with putting her on the right course, Thompson-Herah said: “I went to a track meet and didn’t do too well, and he basically took me to the side and gave me a speech that really motivated me and changed my life. I can’t say (exactly what he said), but he basically said that I was not in high school anymore and I needed to take things more seriously; that I needed to realize that I am running with the big girls now. So it pushed me to take it seriously.” Thompson-Herah, who stands 1.67m tall and weighs 57kg, began her steady rise to the top in 2013, gradually bringing her times down before dipping under 11 seconds for 100m and 22 for the 200m two years later.
A world championship runner-up
A member of the Jamaican 4x100m relay squad that won gold at the 2013 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Morelia (MEX) and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (GBR), Thompson-Herah scored a stunning win the 200m at the Jamaican trials for the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing. She backed up that performance by running 21.66, the fifth-fastest time in history, in the Bird’s Nest. Sadly for her, Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands ran the fourth-fastest, 21.63, to snatch the gold. A maiden world title did come her way in Beijing, however, in the 4x100m relay. Then, in March 2016, Thompson-Herah ran 7.06 to take the 60m bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Portland (USA).
The road to Brazil
The rising star of Jamaican sprinting maintained her momentum at the national trials for Rio 2016 in Kingston that July, running the 100m in 10.70, the fastest time of the year and the fourth-quickest of all time. Though Thompson-Herah was forced to pull out of the 200m final with a thigh injury, she had already achieved the Olympic qualifying time and was selected for the event in Rio.
A new sprint star is born
After cruising through the 100m heats and semi-finals at the Olympic Stadium in Rio, Thompson-Herah lined up for the final in Lane 4. Though the USA’s Tori Bowie made a blistering start, with a reaction time of 0.112 seconds, the young Jamaican took to the front after 60m and pulled away from the rest of the field to win gold in a time of 10.71, ahead of Bowie and defending two-time champion Fraser-Pryce. After soaking up the adulation of the Rio crowd, the richly talented Thompson-Herah said: “When I crossed the line and glanced across to see I was clear, I didn’t quite know how to celebrate. Of course, I used to watch Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce when I was younger and I remember seeing her at London 2012. I’m from a place that isn’t particularly well-known in Jamaica, but I’m proud of that.” That gold was only the start for Thompson-Herah.
A legendary double
Thompson-Herah renewed her rivalry with Schippers in the first 200m semi-final a few days later, with the Dutch sprinter coming home first in a time of 21.96, 0.17 seconds faster than the Jamaican. Drawn into Lane 6 for the final, Thompson-Herah made a superb start and came out of the bend in the lead. Though her Dutch rival fought hard to close the gap, the newly crowned 100m champion held her off to win by a tenth of a second in a time of 21.78. Scarcely able to believe what she had done, the Jamaican lay on her back on the track and waited for the result to flash up on the big screen. When it eventually did, she leapt up and gave a cry of joy.
The first woman in 28 years to score an Olympic sprint double, Thompson-Herah later said: “My expectation coming into these Olympics was that I just wanted to run as smooth as possible. I had a hamstring injury at the national trials. But I didn’t let that overcome me. I treated it the best I could, but it wasn’t that bad. I had some rough days training, but I’m a warrior. I’m strong inside and I trained hard. It’s amazing. It all paid off.” She then won her third medal of the Games in the 4x100m relay, collecting silver with team-mates Christiana Williams, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Fraser-Pryce in a race won by the USA. Having found ample reward for her sheer grit and determination, Thompson-Herah can look forward to a golden career.
Tokyo dream
Little was expected of Thompson-Herah going into Tokyo 2020 given how disrupted her previous Olympic cycle had been through injury. This made her achievements all the more noteworthy in the Japanese capital city. Thompson-Herah defended her 100m title on an all-Jamaica podium that saw Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson finish second and third respectively. Thomspon-Herah's time of 10.61 broke both the Jamaican national record and a 33-year-old Olympic record. Next up in in the 200m, she secured her second gold of the event, before teaming up with Brianna Williams, Fraser-Pryce and Jackson to land the 4x100m Olympic title.
