Thompson crowned IAAF DL ‘Sprint Queen’ and collects US$100,000 bounty

Jamaica’s rising superstar Elaine Thompson reaffirmed her title as the fastest woman on the planet when she won the Brussels Diamond League 100m race on September 9 and equalled the meet record of 10.72 set by her compatriot ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce.

She was crowned the IAAF Diamond League “Sprint Queen” and collected US$40,000 for the overall DL 100-metre title, US$10,000 for first prize and a remaining $50,000 prize money from various diamond league meets.

Having won the Rio Olympics women sprint double, the 24-year-old Thompson put on master-class sprinting and outdistanced her arch-rival and European champion Dafne Schippers in stunning fashion in the much awaited 100m clash.

Thompson won by almost two clear strides and similar to when her legendary compatriot Usain St Leo Bolt dominated the 2008 Beijing 100 metres in world record time ahead of Trinidadian Richard Thompson in the iconic “Bird’s Nest”.  

With her latest victory, Elaine Thompson maintained her unbeaten record for the 2016 season over Schippers who clocked 10.97 secs.

Thompson won the Rio Olympics 100m and 200m races quite convincingly with Schippers finishing in a disappointing fifth position in the 100m and second in the 200m.

And in the first post-Olympics clash in the 200m, in Lussane Thompson (21.85 secs) stunned Schippers (21.86) with a perfectly-timed surge that propelled the fleet-footed Jamaican to a spectacular victory over the best assembled field of half-lap specialists.

The race also included two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion Allyson Felix (22.02 secs) who was beaten into third place. Great Britain’s champion Dina Asher-Smith finished in fourth position with 22.38 while Jamaicans Simone Facey and Campbell-Brown were fifth and sixth respectively in 22.50 and 22.51.

It should be noted that it was the first time that a women’s 200m race had four starters (Thompson, Schippers, Felix and Campbell-Brown) with a lifetime best of sub-22 secs each to their names for the 200m.

To complete a near perfect season; Jamaica’s newest “Global Sprint Queen” clinched the overall Diamond League 100m crown, in the new meet record time of 10.72 and demonstrated superb running form in top speed.

A beaming and elated Thompson collected the coveted Diamond Trophy and US$40,000 plus the meet top prize money of US$10,000.

Thompson also ensured that another Jamaican kept the 100m-crown after two-time Olympic champion Fraser-Pryce claimed the Diamond League titles in 2012, 2013 and again in 2015. Two-time Olympic 200-metre champion Veronica Campbell-Brown also celebrated Diamond League victory in the 100m title in 2014.

With Thompson’s successful Brussels’ 100m-blitz; it became a record five consecutive sweep for Jamaican women, who have been a major force on the international circuit.

Only American Carmelita Jeter had tasted this success and received bonus prizes with back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011.

In terms of prize monies plus bonuses in the Diamond League races, Thompson was rewarded handsomely for her stunning exploits.

For the 2016 DL season, she received a total of US$100,000 and finished in fifth spot for prize money earnings alongside Kenya’s steeplechase runner, Conseslus Kipruto (US$100,000); USA’s new world record-holder in the 100m hurdler, Kendra Harrison (US$100,000), France Rio Olympics pole vault silver-medallist, Renaud Lavillenie (US$100,000) and South Africa’s Rio Olympics 800-metre gold-medallist, Caster Semenya (US$100,000) who won the Brussels 400-metre race.

Croatia’s Rio Olympics discus champion and Schippers topped the money list, with US$110,000 each. They were followed by Colombia’s Rio Olympics triple jump champion, Caterine Ibarguen (US$106,000) and Serbia’s long jumper Ivana Spanovic (US$102,000).

Jamaica’s one-lap specialist Stephenie-Ann McPherson won the Diamond League Trophy for the 400m group and collected the overall bonus of US$40,000.  

McPherson’s overall tally for the 2016 season amounts to US$75,000 for 28th place on the Diamond League money list. She joins Novlene Williams-Mills who became the first Jamaican to win the Diamond League 400m Trophy in 2014.

As the overall respective event winner, both Thompson and McPherson automatically qualified for one wild card entry each (with conditions), in their respective specialty; for the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.