Jamaican Thompson Herah wins 100m Commonwealth gold
Published: 05:08 PM,Aug 04,2022 | EDITED : 09:08 PM,Aug 04,2022
Thompson Herah wins 100m Commonwealth gold
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom: Jamaican sprint star Elaine Thompson-Herah eased the pain of a disappointing world championships by sprinting to 100m victory at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as Katarina Johnson-Thompson ended her heptathlon drought.
Scotland's Eilish McColgan also put past frustrations behind her on an emotional night in Birmingham.
Thompson-Herah finished third behind fellow Jamaican sprint stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson at last month's world championships in Eugene, Oregon.
It was a disappointing performance for the 30-year-old, who topped the podium at last year's Tokyo Olympics in both the 100m and 200m, retaining the titles she had won in Rio.
But she began her first step in her 'battle back to the top' by winning the Commonwealth 100m title for the first time in 10.95 seconds.
Thompson-Herah would not have been running but for the withdrawal of Fraser-Pryce.
'Feeling good,' said Thompson-Herah. 'I didn't have the best execution but nevertheless I had to dig for that one but I am still grateful to win my first Commonwealth Games.
'I started in 2014 in the 4x100m. Then in 2018 in the 200m I came fourth and now I upgraded to a gold.'
Johnson-Thompson tears
Johnson-Thompson choked back tears as she ended a three-year period without a title by retaining her Commonwealth crown.
The 29-year-old has seen little go right since she won the 2019 world title -- rupturing her Achilles tendon in 2020 and tearing her calf muscle at the Olympics. -- AFP
Scotland's Eilish McColgan also put past frustrations behind her on an emotional night in Birmingham.
Thompson-Herah finished third behind fellow Jamaican sprint stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson at last month's world championships in Eugene, Oregon.
It was a disappointing performance for the 30-year-old, who topped the podium at last year's Tokyo Olympics in both the 100m and 200m, retaining the titles she had won in Rio.
But she began her first step in her 'battle back to the top' by winning the Commonwealth 100m title for the first time in 10.95 seconds.
Thompson-Herah would not have been running but for the withdrawal of Fraser-Pryce.
'Feeling good,' said Thompson-Herah. 'I didn't have the best execution but nevertheless I had to dig for that one but I am still grateful to win my first Commonwealth Games.
'I started in 2014 in the 4x100m. Then in 2018 in the 200m I came fourth and now I upgraded to a gold.'
Johnson-Thompson tears
Johnson-Thompson choked back tears as she ended a three-year period without a title by retaining her Commonwealth crown.
The 29-year-old has seen little go right since she won the 2019 world title -- rupturing her Achilles tendon in 2020 and tearing her calf muscle at the Olympics. -- AFP