Thompson-Herah runs second fastest-ever women’s 100m

 

Eugene (USA), Aug 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two-time Olympic 100m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica ran a stupendous 100m race, clocking 10.54 seconds at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon. That was the second fastest time ever in the history of 100m racing -- just short of the 10.49 clocked by American Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988.

Elaine, on Saturday night, defeated a field that included the two compatriots who joined her on the Tokyo podium.

Elaine, whose previous best was the 10.61 she set in retaining her 100m title in Tokyo, overhauled the fast-starting Olympic silver medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to bolster the position she already held as the second-fastest ever behind the 1988 10.49 world record belonging to the late Florence Griffith-Joyner of the United States.

The 34-year-old Shelly-Ann, the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 gold medallist who has run 10.63 this season, was second in 10.73, with fellow Jamaican Shericka Jackson completing the order of the Tokyo Olympic podium as she clocked 10.76, equalling her personal best.

They were followed by Teahna Daniels, Marie-Jos?e Ta Lou, Javianne Oliver, Mujinga Kambundji, Briana Williams and Sha'Carri Richardson, according to a report on World Athletics website.

Home sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, who missed the Olympics after incurring a one-month ban following a positive test for cannabis during the US Trials, failed to make the impact she had hoped for in rejoining the company of the world's best, drifting back to ninth and last place in 11.14 on the Hayward Field track where she ran a wind-assisted 10.64 at the trials.

"To come back with a personal best after the Olympics, that is amazing," said Elaine, whose face had lit up when she saw her time.

"It means a lot to me, because my job is to inspire a generation. I have more races, so I don't get too excited, too carried away. I have to continue doing the job," she told World Athletics.

On targeting faster times, she added: "I think the records are in reach, because I ran 10.5 and I have so much more in me. I don't want to get carried away - the celebrations will start in October and November, but for now I have a mission to complete!"

Given the flatness of Sha'Carri earlier performance it was no great surprise that the 21-year-old did not take up her option of competing in the women's 200m, which was won in 22.06 by Switzerland's Kambundji from home runner Gabrielle Thomas, the Tokyo bronze medallist, who clocked 22.11.

Britain's world champion Dina Asher-Smith, who skipped the 200m in Tokyo as a precaution following her recovery from a severe hamstring injury, showed encouraging signs of recovery as she rounded the bend in the lead but was unable to hang on, finishing third - but in good order - in 22.19.

Thirty-five-year-old Allyson Felix, the London 2012 200m champion, was fourth.

All three individual home Olympic champions on show lived up to expectations in front of a respectable and enthusiastic home crowd as the annual Prefontaine Classic meeting returned to its traditional home for the first time in three years following the rebuilding work ahead of next year's World Athletics Championships.

Ryan Crouser, who set a world record of 23.37m in shot put at the US Trials in this arena before retaining his title in Tokyo with an Olympic record of 23.30m, earned his 21st successive win with another dominant performance.

Having bettered the best efforts of all his rivals in his first five throws, including a best of 23.15m which broke the Diamond League record, Crouser then went into the jeopardy of the final three fomat, where defeat was still a prospect.

A concluding effort of 22.41m earned the deserved win, with Brazil's Darlan Romani taking second place with 21.44m ahead of home world champion Joe Kovacs, who fouled out after throwing 21.94m earlier.

Athing Mu finished 20 metres clear of a top-class women's 800m field as she won in a personal best of 1:55.04, the eighth fastest of all-time. The 19-year-old looked as if she would be running even faster in a race that was not part of the Diamond League event before tying up slightly over the final 30 metres.

She was followed home by fellow American Kate Grace, whose form has soared since failing to qualify from the US Olympic trials, who clocked 1:57.60 ahead of Jamaica's Natoya Goule, who finished in 1:57.71 from another US runner, Raevyn Rogers, who clocked 1:58.01, and Britain's 19-year-old Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson, who was fifth in 1:58.30.

"A personal record again this season - that's pretty great," said Mu. "The Hayward Magic, they call it. I think this was the greatest field of people ever."

Home Olympic pole vault champion Katie Nageotte only cleared at her third and final attempt at 4.62m but went on to earn victory with a third attempt clearance of 4.82m, which defeated second-placed Tokyo bronze medallist, Briton Holly Bradshaw.

"I felt good in the warm-up, but then it just crashed," Nageotte said. "So I'm really, really proud that I came away with the win."

Kenya's double Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon finished, spectacularly, almost 40 metres clear as she won in a meeting record of 3:53.23, with Australia's Linden Hall a distant second in 3:59.73 and Britain's Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir, shocked perhaps by the unrelenting early pace, dropping down to 12th place in 4:05.92.

Source: IANS