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| Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran a championship record of 10.67 seconds, the sixth fastest time in history, ahead of Jamaica team-mates Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah |
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed an astonishing fifth world 100 metres title at the age of 35 on Sunday when she clocked 10.67 seconds to edge Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah in a brilliant Jamaican clean sweep.
Fraser-Pryce got her usual superb start and held her form as fast-finishing Jackson clocked a personal best 10.73 for silver and Thompson-Herah took bronze with 10.81.
No nation had completed a medal sweep in the womenโs 100m at the worlds, though Jamaica did it at last yearโs Olympics via the same three athletes โ and also in 2008.
The United States did the same in the menโs event on Saturday, the first since 1991.
Fraser-Pryce now has five 100m world titles and two Olympic 100m golds and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down as Sundayโs mark was the fastest winning time of all those seven global victories.
โItโs my favourite world title โ doing it at 35, yes I said 35,โ Fraser-Pryce said.
โWhenever Iโm healthy Iโm going to compete. Iโm hungry, Iโm driven and I always believe I can run faster and Iโm not going to stop until I stop believing that.โ
She hoped that she could be an inspiration to other women.
โItโs not easy, I donโt just turn up โ I have to work,โ she said. โI canโt even imagine the amount of times Iโve had setbacks and Iโve bounced back and Iโm here again.
โTo continue to do it at 35, having a baby, still going, hopefully Iโm inspiring women that they can make their own journey.โ
โPART OF HISTORYโ
Jackson said she was surprised to learn she is now the third-fastest Jamaican of all time.
โLast year when I switched to the 100 metres, I was scared but I took my time and here I am today and I feel good to be part of history with the sweep.โ
Thompson-Herah, who has won back to back Olympic sprint doubles and is second-fastest on the all-time list behind only Florence Griffith-Joyner, is still without an individual world title, adding Sundayโs bronze to a 200m silver in 2015.
โIโm not in the best shape of my life, Iโve had shoulder and Achilles injuries that have knocked me about a bit so Iโm pleased to have overcome that,โ she said.
โIโm a fighter, Iโm always positive and my world championship journey does not stop here.โ
Dina Asher-Smith, silver medallist in 2019, was fasted out of the blocks in lane eight but though she matched her British record of 10.83 she came up just short.
โYou had to run a 10.9 low to make the final, which is crazy,โ she said.
Her team mate Daryll Neita ran the fastest time ever by someone not making the final (10.97) in the semis.
REUTERS
