ELAINE’S LANE

BRILLIANT RUNNING at the Olympic Games has moved Elaine Thompson Herah on to a unique 200-metre performance list compiled by the respected US journal, TRACK AND FIELD NEWS. The list pinpoints the fastest times done in each lane and credits Thompson Herah with the fastest time ever from lane five.

The Jamaican completed a historic Olympic sprint double with the second-fastest time ever – 21.53 seconds from lane five. She joined 1993 and 1995 World champion Merlene Ottey in this list of lane-by-lane world records, with Ottey clocking 21.64 seconds in 1991 in Brussels. In addition, the Thompson Herah’s semi-final time of 21.66 seconds is listed as the fastest from lane nine at low altitude.

Ottey’s mark was the Jamaican record until Thompson Herah’s run in the Olympic final.

According to TRACK AND FIELD NEWS, the list pinpoints ‘the best performance known to have been achieved in each lane of the track in each of the curve-affected events (200m, 400m, 400mH, 4×100m) for men and women’.

Jamaica’s 2021 Olympic champions Briana Williams, Thompson Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson pop up with the 4x100-metre relay record for lane nine, 41.02 seconds.

Notably, this section of the lane-by-lane record list is dominated by Jamaica and the USA.

The Americans have the all-time best clockings from lanes one, two, three and seven – the world record of 40.82 seconds by Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter at the 2012 Olympics.

TOP TEAM

Jamaica appears as the top team in lanes four, six and eight.

Bahamian star, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, moved on to the list with her Olympic winning time of 48.36 seconds, the fastest ever from lane seven, with Felix now filling the lane nine position with her clocking of 49.46 seconds to get the Olympic bronze this year.

The Glen Mills-coached trio of Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Jason Young still dominate the men’s 200-metre list.

Bolt leads the way with his world record of 19.19 seconds, which was set in lane five at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany. Blake appears twice with the best times for lanes four and seven, 19.44 from the 2012 Olympics and 19.26, which is the second-fastest 200-metre clocking ever. Young is the fastest man of all time from lane two, with a personal best of 19.86 seconds in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 2012.

Jamaica covers lanes four, five, six and seven on the men’s 4x100m list with times of 36.84 seconds in lane six, a world record set by Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Bolt at the 2012 Olympics; 37.27 in lane four; 37.31 in lane seven and 37.36 in lane five.

Melaine Walker’s silver-medal effort in the 2011 World Championships’ 400-metre hurdles final – 52.73 seconds – appears for lane eight.