Jamaica’s top women’s sprinters again are sharing the spotlight.
On Thursday night, the Athletissima meet took place in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the three Jamaican runners Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shericka Jackson, swept the top three spots once again.
In the Tokyo Olympics and last weekend’s Prefontaine Classic meet in Eugene Oregon, these three ladies finished in a 1-2-3 order Thompson-Herah first, Fraser-Pryce second, and Jackson third.
But in Switzerland this week Fraser-Pryce got off to a brilliant start and surged ahead far enough to hold off the fast-closing Thompson-Herah at the tape. Fraser-Pryce crossed the finish line with a time of 10.60, which not only was .04 seconds faster than the Olympic champion Thompson-Herah, it also became the third-fastest time in women’s 100 meters history.
After her triumph, Fraser-Pryce, 34, said in a post-race interview, “I’m happy that I was able to still show up and show women that it’s definitely possible to have your career, start your family and come back.” While the winning time was a personal best for Fraser-Pryce, the mother of one says this will not be the last victory the world gets to see from her. She added, “There will be more from me this season, and certainly my goal is to break into the 10.50-range.”
As for Thompson-Herah in second place, she earned herself the title as the second-fastest woman of all time after running a fantastic 10.54 time at the Prefontaine Classic on Aug. 21. That performance came less than a month after the 29-year-old set an Olympic record of 10.61 as she won the gold medal on July 31 in Tokyo. Florence Griffith Joyner’s Olympic record of 10.62 had stood since the 1988 Seoul Games.
Jamaican’s Shericka Jackson took third in Switzerland in 10.92 seconds. This weekend the trio were heading to Paris to continue to defend their winning streak at the Diamond League series, but by Friday Fraser-Pryce announced her withdrawal from the Aug. 28 Paris meet, citing exhaustion.
