The Men’s Olympic 100 Metres Just Got a Whole Lot More Interesting

The sudden emergence of Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson has injected real drama into the men’s Olympic 100 metres. And we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Kishane Thompson’s sudden emergence in the sprinting landscape ahead of the Paris Games is an unforeseen plot twist.

The 22-year-old Jamaican turned heads at his national trials with a blazing fast 100m time, leaving many to wonder what other surprises he has in store for us at the Summer Games in Paris.

A Welcome Plot Twist

Score one more for team Start Slow, Finish Fast. If you’re keeping track of Olympic trials results — and any real track nerd should be — note that Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson, Andre De Grasse, and Kishane Thompson all trailed early in their respective 100-metre finals. And each of them finished first, often against Diamond League-level competition.

The art of winning in the 100m sprint is all about hitting top speed at the right time.

So if you think Thompson, who ran a world-leading 9.77 seconds on Saturday to win Olympic trials in Jamaica, needs to squeeze more out of his first 30 metres, take another look at him obliterating a world class field over the final 70. A late 1980s vintage Ben Johnson could put elite fields in a chokehold by 15m and rocket to victory from there. For just about every other top-tier elite before or since, winning means hitting top speed at the right time, and limiting deceleration from there.

Thompson’s Eye-Opening Run

Thompson’s eye-opening run at Jamaican trials is the latest case in point, and we’re focusing on him because he’s the least-known of this weekend’s 100m champions — and his victory might be the most impressive.

Kishane Thompson’s victory might be the most impressive of the weekend.

Watch him achieve maximum velocity about two-thirds of the way down the track as he overtakes Oblique Seville, then turn his head a few degrees to the left, keeping both Seville and the infield clock in his line of sight. Simply put, Thompson conducted a 9.77-second sprint clinic, from acceleration to top-end speed, to the low-key showmanship of his late race side-eye.

The Fastest Time in Two Years

The fastest time in the world in two years 128293 has sent shockwaves through the track and field community, and we can’t wait to see what Thompson has in store for us at the Paris Games.

Kishane Thompson’s emergence has sent shockwaves through the track and field community.