Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah leads a 1-2-3 finish for Jamaica in the women’s 100, while Sha’Carri Richardson finishes last.
EUGENE, Ore. — Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah bested her Olympic gold-medal winning time in the 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic, and Sha’Carri Richardson finished last in her return to the track after controversy. Thompson-Herah ran the 100 meters Saturday in 10.54 seconds, the best time in the world this year as well as a meet record and a personal best. She topped her Olympic-record 10.61 in Tokyo as she edged closer to Florence Griffith Joyner’s world record of 10.49 set in 1988. Fellow Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sherika Jackson followed Thompson to the finish line, the same 1-2-3 finish as the Olympics. “I’m a little bit surprised because I’ve not run that fast in five years and I actually ran fast at the championships. But to come back here after two weeks to run another personal best is really amazing,” Thompson-Herah said. The Diamond League race at Hayward Field was heralded as Richardson’s return to the sport after a positive marijuana test, as well as a showdown against the Jamaicans that many had hoped to see in Japan. “Actually just to be back doing what it is that I have a passion for, that’s in my heart, that navigates me day-to-day, was a blessing,” Richardson said afterward, vowing that better finishes are to come. Richardson won the 100 on the same track at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in June, becoming a sensation with her long, colorful nails and big personality.
