Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce produced one of the astonishing kick as she beat the Olympic sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah in the women’s 100 metres on Thursday at the Athletissima Wanda Diamond League meeting in the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Switzerland.
The 29-year-old had run the second-fastest 100m of all-time last Saturday in blistering 10.54 seconds to win at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, but found herself beaten by her 34-year-old fellow Jamaican in one of the night’s many surprises.
Happily, the wind gauge was within the legal limit, allowing Fraser-Pryce to improve her lifetime best she set on home ground in Kingston in June by 0.03 and add some gloss to the third spot she holds on the world all-time list – behind the 10.49 Florence Griffith-Joyner recorded at the 1988 US Olympic trials in Indianapolis.
Having finished a distant second in both races, Fraser-Pryce – the four-time world and two-time Olympic 100m champion – now finds herself firmly in the frame as the Jamaican rivals look to update the record books.
“Believe it or not, I still have not run my best race,” the veteran sprint queen maintained afterwards. “I know there is more to give because I still need to work further on improving my technique.
“There will be more from me this season, and certainly my goal is to break into the 10.5 range.”
It was Fraser-Pryce’s 21st sub-10.8 clocking and her first win against her Jamaican teammate since the Jamaican Olympic trials in late June, when she emerged victorious from both the 100m and 200m.
The two are due to continue their rivalry, plus their bid to break Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old world record of 10.49, at the next Diamond League meeting in Paris on Saturday.
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