JAMAICA RETAINS TITLE

ELAINE THOMPSON TAKES OVER FROM HER TEAM-MATE

100M

TWO-TIME champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce might have missed out on an historic third 100m gold, but Elaine Thompson ensured that the title remained with Jamaica as she graduated from world 200m silver medallist to Olympic 100m champion.

Clocking 10.71 to miss her PB by just 0.01 and record the second-fastest ever winning time in Games history, the 24-year-old beat USA’s Tori Bowie with 10.83 for silver and ‘pocket rocket’ Fraser-Pryce with 10.86 for bronze.

Jamaica reigns: Elaine Thompson (lane four) smiles as she crosses the finish line

Thompson was always going to be a fierce competitor.

The world indoor 60m bronze medallist had beaten Fraser-Pryce to the Jamaican title ahead of the Games and is world No.1 with her 10.70 PB, which equalled Fraser-Pryce’s national and Commonwealth record as well as moved her to joint fourth on the world all-time list. However, both Jamaicans suffered their own injury problems in the lead-up to the Games so making it to the start and negotiating the rounds was an achievement in itself.

But wanting far more than to just play a part, Thompson took centre stage as she ran 11.21 to win her heat, 10.88 to win her semi-final and then clocked her near PB to take the title, crossing the finish line more than a tenth of a second clear ahead of Bowie in a race which saw the top seven dip under 11 seconds.