Elaine Thompson on course to bounce back and repeat Rio heroics at Tokyo 2020 

With the likes of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce leading a star studded Jamaican athletics contingent at the Rio Games, the spotlight was not on Elaine Thompson. But when the 2016 Olympics ended, the 24-year old with gold medals in both 100m and 200m attained superstardom. She also kept her tryst with history, becoming the first female athlete since Florence Griffith Joyner to blaze to glory in both Olympic sprint events.

That success means that heading into the Tokyo Olympics, Elaine Thompson has to contend with media glare, expectations and a lingering injury to repeat her Rio exploits. A painful Achilles tendon forced her to withdraw from the 200m race at the World Championships in 2019. And in the 100m dash, she finished a disappointing fourth, hampered by fitness issues.

Elaine Thompson’s bid to recreate history

Not one to give up, Elaine Thompson bounced back in style last year when she clocked the fastest time of 2020 at the Diamond League meet in Rome. Setting a blistering pace, the Jamaican eased to gold, clocking in at 10.86 seconds. This year, the 28-year-old is yet to reproduce her magic on the track. Her personal season best of 10.78 seconds is only the fourth-best time, with Sha’Carri Richardson of the USA leading the way with the top three efforts of 2021. Thompson will need to better her personal best of 10.7 seconds to conquer a strong field in Tokyo.

In 200m, Elaine Thompson has lagged behind her opponents. Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas has emerged as a strong contender, with Richardson hot on her heels. Thompson is aiming to improve on her best of 21.66 seconds for a shot at glory, something she has admitted will depend on her fitness.

Initially set to take part in the Diamond League meet at Gatestead last week, she pulled out of the event, raising concerns yet again about her fitness.

Elaine Thompson has been struggling with an Achilles injury for the last couple of years

Elaine Thompson - The making of a champion

Thompson was raised by her grandmother in Banana Ground - a small mountain town in central Jamaica. Her childhood years were a struggle, with her grandmother having to borrow money just to put food on the table.

She has revealed that her love for television was the main motivation to start running fast. When her grandmother asked a young Elaine Thompson to run errands for her, she used to sprint to the shops and come back home as fast as possible so as to not miss her favorite cartoon shows and films on television.

But Elaine Thompson enjoyed running, and was soon taking part in various school events. She was first spotted by her college coach Paul Francis, who convinced her to join the prestigious MVP club - a famous athletics academy which has produced the likes of Asafa Powell. Paul's brother Stephen took her under his wings and she soon found her life’s calling, and realized that athletics was the means to lift her family out of poverty.

Despite training with some of the top athletes under Stephen's watchful eyes, he felt she was not doing justice to her talent and soon pulled her up for it. This lit a fire under Elaine Thompson and the transformation was soon apparent. For someone who had been on the fringes, she announced her arrival on the big stage in 2015, scorching the tracks in international meets and upsetting big names like Blessing Okagbare and Allyson Felix.

Elaine Thompson will be confident of winning the 100m event despite clocking only the second best time this year,

But her biggest break came at the World Championship in 2015 as she grabbed silver in 200m behind the Flying Dutchwoman Dafne Schippers. Though she was very keen on taking part in the 100m race, her coach wanted her to focus on the solitary event.

In Rio, Elaine Thompson was gearing up for double glory. In the 100m final, she got past her training partner and defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the halfway stage and did not look back. In 200m, the Jamaican vanquished Schippers, who had earlier edged her out at the 2015 World Championships. Even as she became the toast of the athletics world, the Jamaican was living a dream. But there was no first pumping celebration, nor any loud cries of joy.

After the Rio fairytale, her life changed. An avid movie buff, she has been invited to glitzy Hollywood film premieres. But like her muted celebrations after Olympic glory, Thompson never allowed the trappings of stardom to affect her. It will be this grounded approach that will see her rise to the top yet again, at the Tokyo Olympics.