Thompson-Herah, who won the 100m and 200m gold in Rio 2016, has repeated her historic double, adding the 200m title to the 100m gold she won in Tokyo.
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Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica established herself as the undisputed sprinting queen, becoming the first woman to win the 100m and 200m gold medals in successive Olympics. The 29-year-old sprinter won the 200m Olympic gold medal in a time of 21.53 seconds, with Namibian Christine Mboma settling for the silver on Tuesday. Gabby Thomas of the US rounded off the podium in third place. Mboma, who became only the second Namibian to win a medal at the Olympic Games, clocked a new world Under-20 record of 21.81. Thomas shortly followed on her heels for the bronze medal, clocking 21.87.
But the day solely belonged to the Jamaican sprinter. Thompson-Herah, who won the 100m and 200m gold in Rio 2016, has repeated her historic double, adding the 200m title to the 100m gold in Tokyo. Just a couple of days before, Thompson-Herah set a new Olympic record in the 100m final, keeping her hopes of completing a second sprinting double alive. Living up to the pre-race hype, Elaine Thompson-Herah delivered again. The 29-year-old Jamaican’s time was the second fastest in history, trailing only Florence Griffith Joyner’s world record of 21.34 seconds set at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Elaine Thompson-Herah does it again! It is the double-double for the #JAM sprint queen in 21.53!#Gold women’s 200m Tokyo 2020#Gold women’s 100m Tokyo 2020#Gold women’s 200m Rio 2016#Gold women’s 100m Rio 2016@WorldAthletics | #StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 | #Athletics pic.twitter.com/AENA2JzT1X
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 3, 2021
Earlier, Thompson-Herah came out of the bend with a slender lead as her compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was on her shoulder. Soon after, the 29-year-old sprinter stepped up a gear as no one was able to match her speed till the finish line. The real battle was for the other podium positions. Thomas moved past Fraser-Pryce into second place before Mboma edged past her to claim the silver medal.
“It feels amazing to win two golds again. I have had a rough week. I haven’t slept after the 100m final,” Thompson-Herah was quoted as saying by olympics.com after completing six rounds of racing en route to the sprint double. “I really had to pull it out to win the 200m. It’s a new PB (personal best) and a national record. I am so, so happy. Oh my god, it’s amazing that I have ever seen this day. That I could complete another double. I can’t believe it.”
On Saturday, Elaine Thompson-Herah overcame a quality field, racing to 100m victory in an Olympic record time of 10.61 seconds. Fraser-Pryce had to settle for the silver medal, clocking 10.74, becoming the most decorated female 100m athlete at the Olympic Games. She has won seven Olympic medals in total, which includes two golds from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 in the same discipline. Meanwhile, Shericka Jackson rounded off the podium finishing third with 10.76 for the Jamaican sweep.
The 29-year-old Thompson-Herah celebrated before even crossing the line, pointing with her left arm on Saturday. “I didn’t see the time, but the pointing was just, I knew I had won, so I don’t know what it means other than to show I was clear (of the field),” Thompson-Herah explained. “I could have gone faster if I wasn’t pointing and celebrating early. But that shows there is more in store, so hopefully, one day, I can unleash that time.”
