2021 Olympics: Elaine Thompson-Herah wins gold as Jamaica sweeps women’s 100m

Defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah led a Jamaican sweep in the women’s 100 meters Saturday at the Tokyo Summer Games, capturing gold in an Olympic-record time of 10.61 seconds. Thompson-Herah’s time was also the second-fastest women’s 100 of all time.

Veteran teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took the silver in 10.74 seconds while Shericka Jackson, also of Jamaica, was third in 10.76. Teahna Daniels of the U.S. was seventh in 11.02.

Thompson-Herah’s record time, which came despite a headwind of -0.6 meters per second, broke American star Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 33-year-old mark of 10.62.

“Behind this 10.6 was a lot of nerves, and I said: ‘You can do this, you’ve been here before, just execute,'” Thompson-Herah said.

It was the second-fastest time in history, behind only Griffith-Joyner’s world record of 10.49 in July 1988.

Jamaica has dominated women’s sprinting recently, winning all but two silver medals in the last four Olympic Games. Fraser-Pryce, 34, won gold in 2008 and 2012 and bronze in 2016, when Thompson-Herah, 29, raced to the title.

The semifinals and finals of the men’s 100 meters are set for Sunday in Tokyo.

(Photo: Matthias Hangst / Getty Images)