KINGSTON, Jamaica – Double Olympic Games sprint champion Elaine Thompson launched her 100m season campaign in blistering fashion at Saturday’s UTech Classic in Kingston at the National Stadium.
Thompson, who blew away rivals in the second half of the race, won the women’s 100m by more than six metres in 10.75 seconds.
“It’s my 100m season opener, and first I have to give God thanks for taking me through injury free. I came out here just to get my first 30 metres and take it from there, but I got a 10.75 with a 2.2 wind…there is more work and more room for improvement.”
She said the run didn’t feel like 10.75.
“When I heard the time I was shockwd, but as I said, each time I race I always surprise myself.”
Jura Levy of Sprintec, who was second in the +2.2m/s wind aided race, ran 11.19 while Christania Williams of MVP, got third in 11.30.
Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, who ran under Racers Track Club, was the top man in the 100m. He won the event in 10.08, beating his club mate Jevaughn Minzie, 10.19.
Hughes, speaking about his time, which was aided by a +2.3m/s wind, said “my second 100m for the season, we just, just started some speed work, so I think there is more to come for me,” he added.
However, in the heat earlier, Tyquendo Tracey and Nesta Carter, both of MVP, were credited with identical 10.18secs.
Shericka Jackson of MVP dropped a personal best, 22.57secs, to beat her training partner Stephanie-Ann McPherson, 23.19.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Jackson, the Rio Olympic Games 400m bronze medallist. She said she ran her former PB of 22.8 in 2013, “so a massive PB in 2017 I am very grateful.”
Miguel Francis, another of Racers’ Great Britain sprinters, topped a competitive men’s 200m field in 20.44 ahead of Sprintec’s Rasheed Dwyer in 20.45.
“It wasn’t a good race,” Francis said.
“It wasn’t a good start, I got out of the blocks and I jumped up in the air, then I tried to go back down in my drive phase, so it was very horrible,” he said while admitting his coach spoke to him about it before the race.
He continued: “On the curve I was really flat, I was up in the air and couldn’t lift anymore, so I just had a bad race and a bad day.”
MVP’s Megan Simmonds was also impressive with 12.83secs to win the women’s 100m hurdles ahead of Ivanique Kemp of UWI in 13.28.
Ronald Levy, in the men’s 110m hurdles, beat world silver medallist Hansle Parchment to win 13.15 to 13.29.
Janieve Russell of MVP was the fastest over the women’s one lap event in 51.94 ahead of Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby of Sprintec 52.91.
Ristananna Tracey, also of Sprintec, won another section in 52.70.