‘It’s within reach’ Thompson-Herah looking to break 100m world record

By Fatuma
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Updated: August 26, 2021
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Elaine Thompson-Herah: Double Olympic champion feels new women’s 100m record is within reach

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah feels a new women’s 100m world record is within reach as she prepares for the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Jamaican, 29, ran 10.54 seconds at the Eugene Diamond League last Saturday – the second fastest time in history.

Only American Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster, when she set her world record of 10.49 seconds in 1988.

The meet in Switzerland takes place on Thursday.

“A few years ago I was asked whether I could break that record and I said it was not possible,” she said.

“But for me to run a 10.54 means it is within reach, therefore it means anything is possible.”

Thompson-Herah retained her 100m-200m title double in Tokyo and has edged closer to breaking Griffith-Joyner’s longstanding record this season.

She claimed the 100m gold medal in July with a time of 10.61 – a new Olympic record.

The Lausanne leg will also see Thompson-Herah go head to head with fellow Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who she beat into second place in Tokyo and Oregon.

When asked about the 100m record, Fraser-Pryce joked that Thompson-Herah was “much, much closer” than she was to achieving the goal.

“It’s good to be able to challenge a record that women thought for a long time was impossible to break and it speaks to the evolution of sprinting,” she added.

“To be able to be part of that conversation, or to have that conversation, is truly remarkable. I know Lausanne is a very good track – I ran 10.7 here in 2019 having just climbed off the plane.”

Two-time Olympic champion Fraser-Pryce, 34, is determined to give her quicker rival a close race when the pair meet this week.

“I definitely have not run my best race as yet and I’m still working on different phases of the races and hopefully I’ll be able to put that together,” she said.

“I’ve always said every time you step out on to the track you want to win, that’s the aim when you get out there.

“To have women you know will definitely be setting a fast time adds to the excitement, not only for the crowd but also for you as an athlete too because it raises your game.”

The Diamond League series is heading for its finale in Zurich next month, with meetings in Paris on 28 August and the penultimate leg in Brussels on 3 September.