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Elaine Thompson-Herah set an Olympic record en route to victory. Xinhua News Agency/PA Images

Jamaica clean sweep as Thompson-Herah storms to gold in blistering 100m final

British hope Dina Asher-Smith, the world 200m champion, failed to qualify for the final – and then pulled out of the 200m due to injury.

LAST UPDATE | 31 Jul 2021

JAMAICA’S ELAINE THOMPSON-HERAH successfully defended her Olympic 100m crown on Saturday, storming to victory in an Olympic record time of 10.61sec.

Thompson-Herah led a Jamaican clean sweep of the medals in a scintillating final, with two-time champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce taking silver in 10.74 and Shericka Jackson bronze in 10.76.

World champion Fraser-Pryce, chasing a third gold medal in the event, surged into the final at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium with a time of 10.73sec, the fastest time of the semi-finals.

Thompson-Herah, the 2016 Olympic 100m gold medallist, likewise, dominated her semi-final to advance in 10.76sec, the second-fastest time of the round behind Fraser-Pryce.

She eased up around 20m from home and sauntered across the line well clear of her nearest rival, Switzerland’s Ajla del Ponte in 11.01sec.

British hope Dina Asher-Smith, the world 200m champion, failed to qualify for the final after only managing 11.05sec in her heat to finish in third behind Thompson-Herah.

The start list for this afternoon’s 100m final

Screenshot 2021-07-31 at 12.00.01

Meanwhile, Asher-Smith’s Olympics appear to be over after she indicated she would withdraw from the 200m following her failure to qualify for the 100m final.

The 25-year-old was expected to challenge for a medal but finished third in her semi-final to crash out in Tokyo, subsequently revealing that the hamstring injury she suffered last month was worse than she had let on.

Asher-Smith is also in Great Britain’s squad for the 4 x 100m relay but it seems unlikely she will now compete.

 © – AFP, 2021

- Additional reporting from Press Association.

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