RIO DE JANEIRO -All eyes were on double defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
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Thompson won the gold medal in a time of 10.71 seconds, with American Tori Bowie finishing second in 10.83.
The dethroned Fraser-Pryce acknowledged after the race that her toe injury was a problem but said she tried her best to block out the discomfort and pain and attempt to create history by winning the 100m final three Olympics in a row.
“Twenty-twenty is such a long way off and I normally just try to think of the year after”.
2016 Rio Olympics – Athletics – Final – Women’s 100m Final – Olympic Stadium – Rio de Janeiro, B …
What happened Saturday night deserves better.
However, her reign as the queen of the event was ended by compatriot Elaine Thompson, who comfortably outpaced her rivals in a time of 10.71 seconds.
Bowie, a first-time Olympian, finished second in 10.83 seconds. “I only started running this race in 2014 so I’m only two years in”. She held off surprise finalist Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast by a mere. Veronica Campbell-Brown captured 2004 and 2008 Olympic 200m titles.
“I’m really proud to represent Latin America and I hope this can be an inspiration to all Latin women that everything can be done in this life”, said Puig.
The third Jamaican in the final, Christiana Williams, brought up the rear.
Thompson is from the village of Banana Ground in Manchester Parish, where she was raised by her grandmother.
In 2013, Thompson ranked No. 124 in the world in the 100m. However, she was caught by Bowie who edged the Carenage- born runner for the win. “Looking at these guys competing, they motivate me because I want to be like them”. I’ve seen her work hard and it was her time.
Britain’s Mo Farah overcame a dramatic mid-race fall to take a second straight Olympic 10,000m title and extend his remarkable record at global championships. “I’m feeling good. I’m happy I got through”, he said.
She won the silver medal in the 200 and a gold medal in the 4×100 relay at the world championships previous year.
The Americans, who failed to medal at last year’s world championships, had looked in peril when two-time doping violator Yulia Efimova gave Russian Federation the lead on the breaststroke.
Yet, as they strained the last couple of meters to the finish line, the growing daylight between Thompson and Bowie was emblematic of how much Olympic sprinting has changed. “That was a long jump”.
It was then that she called her agent, Kim Holland, and finally took the advice of Holland (and others before) to switch to sprinting. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to be able to stand on the podium after having a year like this”.
Bowie experienced nearly immediate success.
Thompson was quick to praise Fraser-Pryce, pointing out that the year had been a hard one for her. Out of lane one.
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The 24-year-old Ahye, running in lane eight, struggled to keep up with the tremendous pace and was timed in 10.92 seconds. She also clinched silver and gold in the 200-metre and four x 100-metre relay at the World Championships in 2015. The only hiccup was in the 100m final, where she was third (but a comfortable third, earning the last individual Olympic 100m spot by.17). Her picture isn’t even on the front of the MVP website. There are many times you will have 60 per cent, you will have 100 per cent. The semi-final round took place 90 minutes before the final, and Ahye was the only TT runner to progress, with Semoy Hackett eliminated on the final hurdle. Chances are, he will not be asked about Thompson in his press conference.
