KINGSTON, Jamaica — Elaine Thompson retained her national 100m title in world-leading fashion, while Briana Williams smashed the IAAF World Youth best time at the Jamaica National Championships on Friday night.
Thompson clocked a season’s best 10.73 seconds to improve the previous world-leading mark of 10.75, set at the NCAA Outdoor Championships by American Sha’Carri Richardson earlier this month.
“Honestly, for the last two years I have been battling an Achilles injury, last year was up and down for me and I didn’t get to perform to the best of my ability,” Thompson said.
“My fastest time last year was 10.93 so for me to come back here and run a 10.7 is awesome,” she added.
Three-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was also in sparkling form after she stopped the clock at a season’s best time of 10.73 as well for second place.
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It’s the first time two women were running under 10.75 in the same race.
Fraser-Pryce, who is rounding back into her best form after having her son in 2017, was satisfied with her performance on the night, but is hoping to keep improving.
“I feel good,” she said. “The execution wasn’t all that but my first time running back 10.7, I feel good about that and I am looking forward to taking it from there.
“I am looking for the opportunity to race some more.”
Williams, the World Junior 100m and 200m champion last summer, battered her own national junior record en route to setting a new world youth best of 10.94 secs for second place.
The Hollywood, Florida, native, who is being coached by Ato Boldon, had earlier posted 11.01 in the semi-finals to erased her then own previous mark of 11.02 and she admitted that she was hoping Thompson and Fraser-Pryce would pushed her to run sub 11 seconds.
“I was looking for the two Olympic champions to push me to help me run 10.9 and they did,” said Williams.
“It means a lot. This is what I trained for all year and just to make the team at 17 is amazing. 10.9, I didn’t know it was going to happen. It happened this time,” the 17-year-old added.
Finishing fourth was Jonielle Smith and she set a new personal best of 11.04 seconds on her way to accomplishing her top four placing.
Natalliah Whyte posted 11.09 for fifth, while sixth place wen to Natasha Morrison in 11.18. Simone Facey was seventh in 11.28, while Schillonie Calvert-Powell rounded out the eight finishers with a time of 11.36.
Meanwhile, Yohan Blake landed the men’s 100m title after he stopped the clock at a season’s best time of 9.96 seconds.
Blake, the only Jamaican under-10 seconds thus far this season, got away to a very strong start and then held off the challenge of defending champion Tyquendo Tracey.
In the end, Tracey crossed at a season’s best 10.00, while Rasheed Dwyer grabbed third place after doing his seasonal best at 10.10.
Senoj-Jay Givans took fourth with a seasonal best of 10.13.
