Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah is now the fastest woman in the world after taking Gold in the women’s 100-meter race with an Olympic record time of 10.61.
Thompson-Herah led a sweep of the race by the Jamaican team as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took silver with 10.74 while Shericka Jackson landed the bronze medal with a time of 10.76. It’s a monumental win for Thompson-Herah who was not poised as a favorite to win as she came off an Achilles injury and only placed third during the Jamaican trials.
“This is really special. Super special. I knew I could have run this from like 2016, but I think I celebrated early too much and I knew one day it would come, hopefully,” Thompson-Herah said. “Two months ago, probably a month-and-a-half, I didn’t think I would be here today. And I held my composure, I believe in myself, I believe in God, and the team around me is very strong, I get that support. I didn’t expect to run this fast, even though I felt great during the rounds.”
Notably missing from the race was the United States’ Sha’Carri Richardson, who was suspended from the games after testing positive for cannabis use.
The ban didn’t keep her from applauding the Jamaican team, however, as she took to Twitter to congratulate them
“Congratulations to the ladies of Jamaica for the clean sweep,” Richardson penned. “Powerful, strong black women dominating the sport.”
After placing first in the U.S. Olympic trials, Richardson was pegged as Team USA’s best bet against the talent concentrated in Jamaica. With Richardson out of the running, the sole American to make it to the finals was sprinter Teahna Daniels who finished seventh in 11.02 seconds.