Thompson and Jackson win 100m titles at Jamaican Olympic trials

Shericka Jackson of Jamaica on the podium to receive her gold medal won in the Women’s 200m Final during the medal ceremony at the medal plaza during the World Athletics Championships, at the National Athletics Centre on August 26th, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty Images

Kishane Thompson sprinted to victory in the men’s 100m with a time of 9.77 seconds, the fastest in the world this year, at the Jamaican Olympic athletics trials on Friday. In Kingston, with a wind speed of 0.9m/sec, Thompson secured first place, followed by Oblique Seville in 9.82 seconds and Ackeem Blake in 9.92 seconds, earning their spots at the Paris Olympics.

At just 22 years old, Thompson’s performance surpassed the previous best of the year, 9.79 seconds set by Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala in Nairobi two weeks earlier. Despite not competing earlier in the season, Thompson breezed through the Jamaican trials, posting times of 9.82 seconds in Thursday’s heats and 9.84 seconds in the semi-finals on Friday.

Notably, Thompson had withdrawn from last year’s World Championships qualifying meet after running a qualifying time of 9.86 seconds, later achieving 9.85 seconds at a Diamond League event in Xiamen and 9.87 seconds in Eugene.

Shericka Jackson, a two-time 200m world champion and two-time 100m world runner-up who finished third in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, secured victory in the women’s 100m with a time of 10.84 seconds (wind -0.3 m/sec).

Reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah was sidelined due to injury, leaving the field open. Nineteen-year-old Tia Clayton took second place in 10.90 seconds, while 37-year-old Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finished third in 10.94 seconds, securing her spot for Paris.

Fraser-Pryce, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion in the 100m, had earlier run 10.91 seconds in the semi-finals before smoothly securing her place in the French lineup.