Elaine Thompson

Elaine Thompson Herah is a Jamaican woman track and field athlete. She hails from Banana Ground village of Manchester in Jamaica. Elaine specializes in sprinting and represents her country internationally in 100m and 200m sprints.

Background

Elaine Thompson Herah was born to Keith Thompson and Rose Richards. She comes from a poor family that resided in Banana Ground, one of the most deprived sections of the Manchester Parish. Her father was a barber and her mother is a housewife.

During her childhood, Elaine was looked after by her grandmother. At a very young age, she had pursued her interest in athletics. She joined Christina High School and later moved to Manchester High School. While representing the latter team at the ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships, Elaine finished 4th in the 100 meters.

After completing her high school education, Elaine joined the University of Technology, Jamaica, where she was recruited by Paul Francis. Under the tutelage of Paul, Elaine made improvements in her timings and began to breach the 11.00s barrier.

Rise to Glory

Elaine Thompson's first career breakthrough came in 2013 when she won her first inter-collegiate 100m title at the Jamaican Inter-Collegiate Championships. That year, Elaine helped her national relay team win the 4x100m title at the CAC Championships.

In 2015, at the Jamaican International Invitational, she had won the 100m title by clocking 10.97 seconds. This caught the attention of many and received the recognition of the world’s leading sprinters. That year, she won her first national title in 200m at the Jamaican Athletics Championships and qualified for the World Athletics Championships.

In 2018, Elaine won the 100m national title, which she defended in the following year at the Jamaican Athletics Championships

Elaine Thompson holds the record of being the world’s 4th joint fast-runner in 100 meters with the personal best time of 10.70 seconds.

Major Achievements

Elaine Thompson received her international career breakthrough in 2014 when she helped her Jamaica relay team to win a 4x100m Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. The following year, Elaine was part of the relay team that was crowned as world champions in 4x100m, alongside Silver in 200m individual at the World Athletics Championships.

In 2016, Elaine made her Olympics debut and instantly shot to fame by becoming the first female sprinter from Jamaica to win a Gold medal double in 100m and 200m in an Olympics at the Rio Olympics. She also helped her team win the Silver medal in the 4x100m relay. That year, Elina won the Bronze medal in 60m at the World Indoor Athletics Championships.

Elaine Thompson has two Diamond League titles in 100m (2016 and 2017). She has a total of 21 Diamond League circuit wins – 14 in 100m, 4 in 200m, and 3 in 4x100m relays. At the World Athletic Relays, Elaine had won a Gold medal (2017) and a Bronze (2019) in the 4x200m relay.

In 2017, Elaine finished 5th in the 100m sprint at the World Athletics Championships. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, she made it to the podium finish with a Silver medal in the 4x100m relay. In 2019, Elaine won the 200m title at the Pan-American Games.

Elaine Thompson will compete in her second Olympics at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and look to defend her Olympic Gold medals in 100m and 200m sprints.