LAST UPDATE | 31 Jul 2021
JAMAICA’S ELAINE THOMPSON-HERAH successfully defended her Olympic 100m crown on Saturday, storming to victory in an Olympic record time of 10.61sec.
Thompson-Herah led a Jamaican clean sweep of the medals in a scintillating final, with two-time champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce taking silver in 10.74 and Shericka Jackson bronze in 10.76.
World champion Fraser-Pryce, chasing a third gold medal in the event, surged into the final at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium with a time of 10.73sec, the fastest time of the semi-finals.
1.2.3 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) July 31, 2021
Thompson-Herah, the 2016 Olympic 100m gold medallist, likewise, dominated her semi-final to advance in 10.76sec, the second-fastest time of the round behind Fraser-Pryce.
She eased up around 20m from home and sauntered across the line well clear of her nearest rival, Switzerland’s Ajla del Ponte in 11.01sec.
British hope Dina Asher-Smith, the world 200m champion, failed to qualify for the final after only managing 11.05sec in her heat to finish in third behind Thompson-Herah.
The start list for this afternoon’s 100m final
Meanwhile, Asher-Smith’s Olympics appear to be over after she indicated she would withdraw from the 200m following her failure to qualify for the 100m final.
The 25-year-old was expected to challenge for a medal but finished third in her semi-final to crash out in Tokyo, subsequently revealing that the hamstring injury she suffered last month was worse than she had let on.
Asher-Smith is also in Great Britain’s squad for the 4 x 100m relay but it seems unlikely she will now compete.
BREAK - Dina Asher-Smith won’t be competing in 200m sprint after not qualifying for 100m final. She spoke openly about hamstring injury, and how it’s held her back. What a woman. We’re proud of you lady #Olympics #Athletics pic.twitter.com/TVgikiNtaP
— Sima Kotecha (@sima_kotecha) July 31, 2021
- Additional reporting from Press Association.
