Of the past 18 possible medals at the Olympics in the women's 100m event, Jamaica has managed to win an incredible 13.
Follow Us
Jamaica has always been a country that has dominated at the Olympics in track events over the years. Both the men and the women involved in the sport have delivered and won several medals for the country. Over the years, the Caribbean nation has amassed a total of 77 medals in Athletics so far. Of the 77, 22 are gold, 35 silver, and 20 bronze. The female athletes of the sport that the country has produced so far, have always delivered over the years. As a matter of fact, the women’s 100m track event is one sport in which the nation has dominated for quite a while now. Of the past 18 possible medals at the Olympics in the sport, Jamaica has won 13. That, in itself, is a massive feat.
The nation’s first medalist in the sport was crowned in Los Angeles in the 1984 Olympics. That year, Merlene Ottey created history and made the Caribbean nation proud as she bagged the bronze medal. Ottey had also managed to win the bronze medal in the women’s 200m event that year as well. Ottey made a comeback to the podium again at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when she claimed the silver medal in the event, becoming the first Jamaican to have two medals in the same sporting event at the time.
Juliet Cuthbert became the second athlete to win a medal for Jamaica in the women’s 100m event. It came at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. She had won the silver medal that year. Much like Ottey, Cuthbert had also managed to win a medal in the women’s 200m event that year as well.
Tayna Lawrence was the next to win a medal in the sport. It was the 2000 Olympics that was held in Sydney. Ottey was back on the podium yet again with the bronze medal. Two out of the three medalists were from Jamaica. It was around this time that the world started taking serious notice of Jamaica’s prowess on the track for both men and women. Lawrence and Ottey’s victory at the turn of the century sent a message of intent around the world, that Jamaica was going to do its absolute best on the track.
Veronica Campbell-Brown became the one to bag the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics that was held in Athens. At this point, fans and experts believed that an athlete from Jamaica will always be at the podium in the women’s 100m event. That assumption proved very true at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as three Jamaican athletes took the podium in the event. Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson, and Kerron Stewart all won medals that year. Fraser was the one who had won the gold.
Fraser would go on to retain her crown at the 2012 London Olympics as she bagged the gold once again. Campbell-Brown would also be involved as she finished in third place and won the bronze medal. Jamaica won the gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics as well. This time, Elaine Thompson was the one to clinch the medal. Fraser was also on the podium as she won the bronze in 2016. In the Tokyo 2020 Games, Jamaica achieved the ultimate feat. All three medalists on the podium were theirs. Thompson retained her gold medal as Fraser won the silver. Shericka Jackson bagged the bronze medal in the event.
