Elaine Thompson-Herah Wins 2nd Straight 100-Meter Gold In Blazing Time
Elaine Thompson-Herah’s shrieks of joy could be heard throughout the nearly empty Olympic Stadium on Saturday night.
The Jamaican sprinter had plenty to yell about. She won the gold medal in the women’s 100 meters in an Olympic record time of 10.61 seconds, defending her 2016 Rio victory and completing a Jamaican sweep.
NEW OLYMPIC RECORD!@FastElaine defends her #Olympics 100m title - running the second fastest time EVER. #TokyoOlympicspic.twitter.com/9UA0ABtuEu
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2021
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who was attempting to become the first woman to win the premier track event three times, finished second in 10.74 seconds, and countrywoman Shericka Jackson was third in 10.76.
It was one of the fastest fields ever ― one that might have been even faster if American Sha’Carri Richardson had made the trip to Tokyo. Richardson had emerged as the best U.S. sprint hope, but lost her spot on the team when she tested positive for marijuana.
As it was, the lone American to make the final, Teahna Daniels, finished seventh in a time of 11.02.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
