Athletics in 2021, especially from a Jamaican perspective, was dominated by one person: Elaine Thompson Herah.
She was at the heart of a renaissance in women’s sprinting that saw the 100 metres event at the Tokyo Olympics become the most highly anticipated sporting event last summer for many sports enthusiasts.
Three Olympic gold medals, national records, and history-making performances were the highlights of Thompson Herah’s year, however, it was her rival, former MVP Track Club athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, now training with Reynaldo Walcott, who wore the favourite’s tag heading into Tokyo.
The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association and the Jamaica Olympic Association held a number of meets called the Olympic Destiny Series to give athletes a chance to make up for time lost from inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic and also to give a further opportunity to those who needed to qualify for Tokyo. This included Jamaica’s Men’s 4x100m relay team, still looking to set a top-eight time in the world to make it into the heats at the Olympics.
It was at one of these Destiny Series meets, on Saturday June 5, that Fraser-Pryce put the world on notice. With a clocking of 10.63 seconds, she not only became the world leader in the 100m, but also ran the second fastest time in history only to the 10.49s set by the late American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo Jo) in 1988.
Fraser-Pryce kept that momentum going by winning the event at the National Championships, ahead of former teammates Shericka Jackson, now down from the 400m and 200m, and Thompson Herah, in that order. Despite the finish being the same top three, in the same order in the 200m two days later, Thompson Herah’s MVP Track Club coach, Stephen Francis, warned the world that big things should be expected from her as from what he had seen in training, she was in the “form of her life” and should not be overlooked for gold in Tokyo.
However, while that was taking place locally, Jamaica kept an eye on American Sha’Carri Richardson’s form that summer. At 21 years old, she was garnering attention after a series of sub-10.80s runs. It was hard to ignore as she made anyone who would listen aware that she was taking gold in Tokyo. She followed it up with a wind-aided 10.64s at the US National Trials in Eugene, Oregon, to heighten the anticipation for the showdown with her Jamaican rivals at the Games. However, that all went away in a puff of smoke as Richardson then tested positive for marijuana, as reported first by The Gleaner, and her times set at the Trials were erased from the records, and she went back to being the six-fastest woman in history, with a personal best of 10.72s.
The final at the Olympics was a spectacle even without the presence of Richardson and the rivalry between Jamaica and the Americans. Thompson Herah lived up to Francis’ words by claiming victory in an Olympic record of 10.61s to eclipse Fraser-Pryce’s weeks-old national record. It was made even more memorable for the country because Fraser-Pryce and Jackson, in that order, followed closely behind her for a sweep of the medals.
Thompson Herah left Tokyo with two more national records. A time of 21.53s in the 200m final saw her wrap up a double-double in the Olympic sprints after achieving the feat five years prior in Rio de Janeiro. Her third gold medal was shared with Fraser-Pryce, Jackson, and youngster Briana Williams when they won the Women’s 4x100m in 41.02s. That team was completed by Remona Burchell and Natasha Morrison.
The other major talking point for Jamaica at the Olympics saw sprint hurdler Hansle Parchment overcoming years of injury setback to upset American favourite Grant Holloway in the Men’s 110m hurdles final in Tokyo for gold. Ronald Levy also found himself on the podium, taking the bronze, behind Holloway, in his first Olympics.
On the women’s, side Megan Tapper gave the Jamaican public a feel-good moment when she took Jamaica’s first medal, a bronze, in the Women’s 100m hurdles final in Tokyo. The team of Junelle Bromfield, Jackson, Roneisha McGregor, Janieve Russell, and Stacey-Ann Williams, gave Jamaica its fourth bronze medal of the games, finishing third in the Women’s 4x400m final.
The showdown that the world waited for between the Jamaicans and Richardson came weeks later. Now over her drug ban, Richardson was down to compete at the Prefontaine Classic, the Eugene, Oregon, leg of the Wanda Diamond League.
Thompson Herah went on once again to make history, lowering her national record to 10.54 seconds. The Jamaicans replicated the one-two-three finish in Tokyo.
However, Richardson could not live up to all the hype she placed on herself and finished last in 11.41s.
With Thompson Herah now going within five-hundredths of a second off the world record, the discourse now became that the 10.49 set by Flo Jo was actually possible to beat.
Fraser-Pryce kept her name in that discussion, too, lowering her personal best to 10.60s at the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League. However, it was Thompson Herah who went on to take the Diamond for 2021.
Thompson Herah continued to make headlines, however, leaving MVP in October to be trained by her husband Derron Herah. She initially denied the story, which was broken by The Gleaner, claiming to be a target by the media for lies and rumours. However, weeks later, she onfirmed her departure in a press release.
After a one-year hiatus, the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) returned to the National Stadium but under COVID-19 restrictions. The event took place in May, instead of during its usual final week in March, and with no spectators and a reduced number of participating schools.
Jamaica College took their first title in 10 years, and Edwin Allen High School took their seventh consecutive girls title, however, the biggest story from Champs happened at the end of the Class One Boys 200m final. As Petersfield High School’s Antonio Watson crossed the line, he made a “gun-finger” gesture to Edwin Allen’s Bryan Levell, who was second in the race. After being maligned by the public for the incident, Watson released a public apology for his action.
Edwin Allen’s Tina Clayton not only stood out at Champs, but also at the World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, in August. Clayton first stunned the world with a time of 11.09s in the Women’s 100m final, beating Olympic 200m finalist Beatrice Masilingi, of Namibia, in the process. Clayton was then joined by her twin sister Tia, Serena Cole, and Kerrica Hill to clock a world under-20 record of 42.92s for gold.