Voice of Commonwealth

Elaine Thompson-Herah’s journey to becoming the fastest woman alive

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 win the gold medal in the 100m final and the 200m final of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, with a time of 10.71s and 21.78s respectively. At the event, she also became the first female Jamaican sprinter to win the 100m and 200m at one Olympic Games and the seventh overall.

Following the 2016 Games, she suffered an Achilles tendon injury, which forced her to withdraw from 2019 World Championships in Doha. Since then the injury had been flaring on and off for almost five years and almost forced her to back down from the Tokyo Games as well. Last summer, two weeks before the Jamaican Olympic trials, the injury had flared up once again, this time with an intense pain.

However, it was not only her physical injury that needed fixing. “My mind was not in the right place,” she said. “I had to change that talk in my head.” Therefore, every morning, she woke up to pray and read the bible. She also started listening to spiritual music on repeat, which bolstered her faith in God and faith in herself.

After every practice session, she would reach for her phone and write down a series of affirmation on the notes app. “I will run 10.5. I will run 21.5. I can do it. I am a winner. I am a champion,” the list read. “I will be the fastest woman alive. Say it, believe it, work for it and pray for it. I will be the double Olympic champion. Today is my day. I am the greatest.”

And this is what she became at the Tokyo Olympics this year – the fastest woman alive, after winning the 100 meters in Olympic record time.

“I knew I had it in me, but obviously, I’ve had my ups and downs with injuries,” the 29-year-old said following her victory. “I’ve been keeping faith all this time. It is amazing.”

Her fellow Jamaican athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who won the event at the Olympics in London and Beijing, came into the event hoping to become the first woman to win three gold medals at this distance. She even clocked the fastest time in the heats to qualify for the final. Nevertheless, Thompson-Herah was in control of the final race right off the blocks. Racing straight through the finish line, she screamed in joy and jumped up and down. “I couldn’t find the words. I screamed so loud because I was so happy,” she said.

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