June 26, (THEWILL) – Elaine Thompson-Herah, the double Olympic sprint champion, opened up about her emotional experience in a post-race interview, following her victory in the women’s 100m event at the JAAA All Comers meet in Kingston, Jamaica, where she clocked a time of 11.24 seconds.
This marked Thompson-Herah’s first 100m race of the season, as she made her return to track action since her last race in April. Although she faced injury challenges throughout the season, the 30-year-old athlete revealed her it was her determination to persevere that kept her going. Speaking after the victory, Thompson-Herah acknowledged the difficulties she had encountered: “It has been a challenging one, but I still hang on. I almost gave up, but you know I have faith, and I came out here to just test my body to see where I’m at.”
During the interview, Thompson-Herah shared insights into her training progress and expressed gratitude for being back to running. While admitting that her training had not met her desired expectations, she highlighted the significance of her achievement considering the time she had been away from the track. She said: “I wouldn’t say my training has not been where I wanted it to, but the fact that I missed so much and I came over to run 11.23 today, not running that long, I’m just grateful.”
Looking ahead, Thompson-Herah expressed her hopes of improving her time as the season progresses. However, if that doesn’t materialise, she emphasised her focus on working towards the Paris Olympics next year. Recognising the importance of listening to her body, she talked about the possibility of taking a break or even a season to prioritise self-improvement and healing.
Thompson-Herah’s next race will be at the Jamaican trials, where she aims to secure a spot on the world championships team heading to Budapest.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
