LOS ANGELES − Jamaica’s two-time Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah clocked the fastest 100m in the world this year at 10.89s at the Golden Games at Walnut, California.
Thompson-Herah, running her first outdoor 100m of the season, won her semi-final heat in the meeting east of Los Angeles with a favourable wind of 1.6 meters per second.
She opted out of the final, which was won by American Twanisha Terry in a wind-aided 10.77s. Americans Aleia Hobbs and Gabby Thomas were second and third respectively in the final − run in a favourable wind of 3.3m/sec.
Thomas − the Olympic 200m bronze medallist − notched the fastest time of the season in her preferred distance − winning in 22.02s ahead of 2019 World silver medallist Brittany Brown.
Fred Kerley − silver medallist in the 100m at the Tokyo Games − won the men’s 200m in 19.80s ahead of fellow American Michael Norman (19.83s).
World 100m champion Christian Coleman, who is making his return to competition this season after an 18-month suspension for failing to comply with his anti-doping obligations, was announced at the start of the 200m but did not run it.
American Micah Williams won the men’s 100m in a wind-aided 9.83s.
Tonea Marshall (12.46s) beat Olympic silver medallist Keni Harrison (12.56s) in the 100m hurdles. Only Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn − the defending Olympic champion − has run faster this year.
Michael Cherry, who won Olympic 4x400m relay gold in Tokyo, ran the fastest 400m of the year in 44.28s. – AFP, April 17, 2022