Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrate gold and bronze, respectively.
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With a time of 10.83 seconds, America’s Tori Bowie took the silver.
Day 2 closed with Jessica Ennis-Hill coming up 35 points short of defending her title in the heptathlon. Stories abound of how petulance nearly ended her career in her native Jamaica before it started.
Thompson explained after the race that she did not know how to react when she crossed the line first. “When I crossed the line and glanced across to see I was clear, I didn’t know how to celebrate“.
“It’s so complicated to explain what’s actually happening with my toe, because I actually have Sesamoiditis and because I’ve been running a lot there are so many things that developed”.
Simone Manuel, who became the first African-American to win an individual gold on Thursday, in the 100-meter freestyle, got another gold Saturday as she swam the freestyle leg to anchor the 4×100 medley relay.
Instead it was Thompson who confirmed herself as the next star of Jamaican women’s sprinting with an imperious display at the Olympic Stadium.
Jamaica’s newest sprint champion is Elaine Thompson, and she was more than happy to let Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce place that green-and-yellow Jamaican flag over her shoulders after denying her friend and training partner a record third straight title in the 100 meters on Saturday.
There was a twist Saturday, however, as he tripped and fell early in the race when he tangled with his American training partner Galen Rupp with 16 laps remaining.
For as great as Bolt has been, women’s sprinters began Jamaica’s surge and, with Thompson at age 24, look to continue it beyond Bolt’s planned 2017 retirement. “I definitely foresee a fast time in this final”.
Baptistes time was not quick enough to see her progress to the semis.
Turning back the clock in his fifth and final Games, Phelps produced a blistering third leg of butterfly to restore his team’s lead and tee up victory after Britain’s Adam Peaty had threatened to gatecrash his party. I cried, because it was unbearable.
Klishina had been allowed to come to Rio after satisfying the governing body that, based in the United States, she had operated in a bona-fide anti-doping environment.
And Fraser-Pryce had been the world’s best female sprinter over the previous seven years before this season, one she reportedly said she will end early due to a toe injury.
“It was really hard, I cried because it was unbearable but I knew I had one more race to go”, Fraser-Pryce added. “I just got up and wanted to stick with the guys and stay strong”. “I am happy that Jamaica gets to keep the gold medal”. I am really happy that I persevered.
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The race was won by Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye in 11.00 seconds. She is competing in her first Olympic Games. She beat Allyson Felix and Fraser-Pryce in the May 2014 Prefontaine Classic. “I will be 33 in 2020 for Tokyo”.
