“Celebrations delayed, ” says Thompson

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Olympic Games 100m champion, Elaine Thompson, is not yet ready to celebrate her success.

According to the MVP superstar, she has more business to take care of before celebration.

“I will celebrate after the 200m because I have the 200m and 4x100m, so I can celebrate all three one time,” she told journalists in her post race interview.

Thompson won Saturday’s Rio 2016 XXXI Olympiad blue-ribbon event in 10.71 to beat American Tori Bowie, 10.83 and former champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 10.85.

The Manchester native spoke of her reaction when she crossed the finish line. “I said yes!!!, I’m finished, I got it.”

The 24-year-old also explained the reason for holding her drive phase for almost 50 metres.

“I am not the quickest out of the blocks, so holding that drive phase long, gave me the push to execute properly, so that’s what I did to get out there,” explained the 2015 World Championships 200m silver medalist.

Thompson joined Fraser-Pryce, the 2008 and 2012 champion, as the only Jamaicans to win Olympic Games 100m titles.

“I am really excited, I am really happy because Jamaica has so many talented sprinters, so to be the second champion, and as long as it remain in Jamaica, I am really happy,” Thompson noted.

Stephen Francis is the coach behind both athletes’ achievements, and this time he had three athletes in the final.
Christania Williams, who stumbled at the start, finished 8th in 11.47 seconds.

“Having three talented athletes (in the final), Fraser-Pryce is a veteran, and the two younger ones (herself and Williams) coming up is a good motivation for us, so we just have to go out there, keep our composure and execute as well as we can.”
She recalled coach Francis’ only instruction going out for the final “All he (Francis) said you need to get that start right” and she felt ”I just got it right this time.”

She now turns her attention to the women’s 200m on Monday.