Tokyo 2020: Elaine Thompson-Herah leads Jamaican sweep in 100m

 Elaine Thompson-Herah
Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold. Photo: Reuters

Tokyo: Defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah led home a Jamaican clean sweep in the Olympic women's 100 metres final on Saturday, posting an amazing 10.61 seconds to become the second-fastest woman in history.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who had been seeking a third gold in the event, took silver in 10.74 with Shericka Jackson third in 10.76.

Thompson-Herah's Olympic record time has been beaten only by Florence Griffith-Joyner's 1988 world record of 10.49 - though the American also ran a 10.61.

Jamaican sweep
Elaine Thompson-Herah, centre, celebrates with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, left, and Shericka Jackson. Photo: Reuters

Fraser-Pryce, 34, took time away from the sport to have a baby but arrived in Tokyo on the back of a sizzling 10.63 run - the fastest time this year.

She started the race strongly, nosing ahead of the field but Thompson-Herah caught up and after the pair raced neck and neck it was the latter who surged ahead with about 40 metres remaining.

Thompson-Herah, wearing a glittering headband, started celebrating before she crossed the line with her left hand raised and she continued her sprint for some distance before lying on the track in jubilation.

The organisers added to the mood of the evening by switching off the lights and lighting up the 100m stretch of the track before introducing the eight sprinters, and six of them finished in under 11 seconds in a blistering race.

Fraser-Pryce, who was looking to add to her 100m wins in 2008 and 2012, had clocked 10.73 to top the semifinal time lists but was unable to improve on that mark.

Jamaica also swept the women's 100 metres medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Poland win mixed relay
Kajetan Duszynski of Poland celebrates with teammate Karol Zalewski after winning the gold. Photo: Reuters

Poland scored an upset win in the inaugural Olympic 4x400 metres mixed relay, with Dominican Republic picking up silver and the United States taking bronze.

The Polish team, comprising Karol Zalewski, Natalia Kaczmarek, Justyna Swiety-Ersetic and Kajetan Duszynski, put on a gutsy performance inside the fan-free Olympic Stadium after posting the fastest time in Friday's heats.

It was the first Olympic medal for all four teammates, who cheered and embraced as anchor leg runner Duszynski crossed the finish line in a time of three minutes and 9.87 seconds.

The US were the favourites after winning the event at the 2019 World Championships. But they almost did not make the final after they were disqualified for exchanging the baton outside the changeover zone in Friday's first round. Organisers later reinstated them, citing an official's error.

Notably absent from the US relay roster was six-time Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix, who was a part of the Americans' winning relay team in 2019 and is set to compete in the women's individual 400 metres on Tuesday in her fifth and final Games.

The event, which features two men and two women per team and made its World Championships debut in 2019, contains a certain level of unpredictability as there are no gender rules governing the order in which athletes choose to race.

Poland had experimented with its lineup in the Doha title race, placing men in the first two legs, but they finished fifth. The team opted to place its two women competitors in the middle legs of Saturday's race, as did the other eight teams.

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