Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah adds 200m Olympic title to her 100m gold in Tokyo to ensure she completes a historic ‘double-double’ after also winning both events at Rio 2016
- Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah clinched the 200m Olympic gold on Tuesday
- The 29-year-old recorded a national best time of 21.53secs to claim the title
- Thompson-Herah now has consecutive 100m and 200m Olympic doubles
- Namibia’s teenage athlete Christine Mboma, 18, claimed the silver medal
- Team USA’s Gabrielle Thomas edged out Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for the bronze
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah claimed the Olympic 200m title with a national record time of 21.53 to pick up her second gold medal of the Tokyo Games on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old, who claimed the 100m title on Saturday, has now repeated the individual medal haul she claimed at Rio five years ago. She is now the first female athlete to complete the ‘double double’ in the main Olympic sprint events.
Meanwhile, teenage sprinter Christine Mboma from Namibia claimed the silver medal with a time of 21.81, with Team USA’s Gabrielle Thomas 0.06 seconds behind the 18-year-old to get the bronze.
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah claimed the Olympic 200m title with a PB time of 21.53
Thompson-Herah finished well clear of Namibia’s Christine Mboma in second place
Thompson-Herah’s Jamaica team-mate Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce had to settle for fourth spot despite competing with the race winner for first as they entered the final straight.
But Thompson-Herah held off all of her opponents on Tuesday to record a personal best time which confirmed her status as the undisputed top female sprinter in the world.
She told BBC Sport after the race: ‘I just need to sleep! I haven’t slept since the 100 metre final but I still had the composure to come out here.
Namibia’s Christine Mboma, 18, overtook Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the last to take silver
‘It took a lot out of me. I’m a two-time Olympian! I’m so happy! I was begging for the line.
‘I’ve set a barrier for the other generations. We have more athletes coming through from Jamaica, for me to set this barrier means a lot to me.
‘My coach has supported me a lot, physically and mentally, and everyone who has come out here to support me, a big thank you to them.’
Her quest to claim 200m gold was aided by Team GB star and 2019 world champion Dina Asher-Smith pulling out of the event before it even started as the 25-year-old Brit picked up a hamstring injury during her 100m bid.
Thompson-Herah (third left) sped away to the line while Fraser-Pryce (far right) faded away
Gabrielle Thomas of the United States took the bronze medal ahead of Fraser-Pryce in fourth
Meanwhile, Jamaican athlete Shericka Jackson crashed out of the 200m running on Monday after she jogged over the finish line in the heats, with her time failing to qualify for the semi-finals by fourth thousandths of a second.
As the runners quickly got off the mark at the gun, Thompson-Herah and Fraser-Pryce were the two stand-out runners as they bent into the final straight.
While Thompson-Herah used her winning experience and momentum to take her to the line, Fraser-Pryce ended up fading in the race as surprise contender Mboma and American athlete Thomas overtook her in the final moments.
Tuesday evening’s celebrations, however, belonged to Thompson-Herah who crossed the line with the second-fastest 200m women’s time in history.