Elaine Thompson-Herah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Honourable
Elaine Thompson-Herah
CD OD

Thompson-Herah at the 2019 Pan American Games
Personal information
Birth name	Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson
Born	(1992-06-28) 28 June 1992 (age 33) Manchester, Jamaica
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	56 kg (123 lb)
Sport
Country	Jamaica
Sport	Track and Field
Event(s)	60 m, 100 m, 200 m
College team	UTech
Club	Elite Performance Track Club (2023-present) New Era Track Club (2022–2023), MVP Track Club (2012–2021)
Coached by	Reynaldo Walcott (2023-present) Shanike Osbourne (2023) Derron Herah (who is also her husband) (2021–2023) Stephen Francis (2012–2021)
Achievements and titles
World finals	2015 200 m, 2 Silver 4 × 100 m, 1 Gold 2017 100 m, 5th 2019 100 m, 4th 2022 100 m, 3 Bronze 200 m, 7th 4 × 100 m, 2 Silver
Olympic finals	2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m, 1 Gold 200 m, 1 Gold 4 × 100 m, 2 Silver 2020 Tokyo 100 m, 1 Gold 200 m, 1 Gold 4 × 100 m, 1 Gold
Personal best(s)	60 m: 7.02 NR (Kingston 2017) 100 m: 10.54 NR (Eugene 2021) 200 m: 21.53 (Tokyo 2021) Indoors 60 m: 6.98i (Birmingham 2017)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Jamaica Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m Gold 2020 Tokyo 100 m Gold 2020 Tokyo 200 m Gold 2020 Tokyo 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4 × 100 m relay World Championships Gold 2015 Beijing 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2015 Beijing 200 m Silver 2022 Eugene 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2023 Budapest 4 × 100 m relay Bronze 2022 Eugene 100 m World Indoor Championships Bronze 2016 Portland 60 m Diamond League 2016 100 m 2017 100 m 2021 100 m World Athletics Relays Gold 2017 Nassau 4 × 200 m relay Bronze 2019 Yokohama 4 × 200 m relay Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow 4 × 100 m relay Gold 2022 Birmingham 100 m Gold 2022 Birmingham 200 m Silver 2018 Gold Coast 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2022 Birmingham 4 × 100 m relay Pan American Games Gold 2019 Lima 100 m CAC Championships Gold 2013 Morelia 4 × 100 m relay

Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson-Herah (born June 28, 1992) is a famous Jamaican sprinter. She runs in races like the 60 metres, 100 metres, and 200 metres. Many people think she is one of the best sprinters ever.

Elaine has won five Olympic gold medals. She is known as the fastest woman alive in the 100-meter race. She is also the third fastest woman ever in the 200-meter race.

She is the first female sprinter to win both the 100m and 200m races at two Olympics in a row. She did this at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has won six Olympic medals in total.

Elaine became well-known at the 2015 World Athletics Championships. There, she won a silver medal in the 200m race. She became the fifth-fastest woman in history over that distance at the time. At the Rio Olympics, she was the first woman since 1988 to win both the 100m and 200m Olympic golds.

After the Rio Olympics, Elaine had an injury to her Achilles tendon. This affected her races in 2017 and 2019. But she came back strong at the Tokyo Olympics. She won the 100m race with a new Olympic record of 10.61 seconds. She also won the 200m race with her best time ever, 21.53 seconds.

She won a third gold medal in the 4 × 100m relay in Tokyo. This made her only the third sprinter to win three Olympic sprinting golds. In 2021, she ran the 100m in 10.54 seconds. This was a new Jamaican record and the second-fastest time ever. She was also the first woman to run faster than 40 kilometers per hour.

Because of her amazing year, she won many awards. These included the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year. In 2022, famous sprinter Michael Johnson called her one of the greatest female sprinters of all time.

Early Life and School Years

Elaine Thompson-Herah grew up in Banana Ground, Manchester Parish, Jamaica. She ran track for Christiana High School and later Manchester High School. She was a good runner in school, but not yet a superstar.

In 2009, she finished fourth in the 100m race at a big Jamaican school competition. In 2011, her last year of high school, she was not on the track team for a short time.

Starting Her Athletics Career

After high school, Elaine joined the University of Technology, Jamaica. She was coached by Paul Francis, whose brother Stephen Francis was a top coach. With their help, her running times started to get much better.

In 2013, she ran her best time of 11.41 seconds in the 100m. She also won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the Central American and Caribbean Championships. She ran the first part of the race for Jamaica.

In 2014, she won her first university title. She also ran in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She ran in the relay heats, and Jamaica went on to win gold in the final.

2015: Becoming a World Star

Elaine really started to shine in 2015. She ran under 11 seconds for the first time in the 100m, with a time of 10.92 seconds. This was the fastest time in the world at that point in the year.

Her coach decided she should focus on the 200m race for the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing. She won the Jamaican 200m title, which meant she could go to the World Championships.

At the World Championships, she won a silver medal in the 200m. She finished very close behind Dafne Schippers from the Netherlands. Elaine's time of 21.66 seconds was faster than the old championship record. She then helped Jamaica win a gold medal in the 4 × 100m relay race.

2016: Double Olympic Gold in Rio

Thompson on the podium at the 2016 World Indoor Championships, alongside Dafne Schippers and Barbara Pierre

Elaine started 2016 by running well in 60m indoor races. She won a bronze medal in the 60m final at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland.

She continued to win races, including two Diamond League events in the 100m. At the Jamaican Championships, she ran a new best time of 10.70 seconds in the 100m. She won the race, beating Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. She had to pull out of the 200m due to an injury, but she was still allowed to compete in the 200m at the Olympics.

Thompson (L) competing in the 200 m heats at the 2016 Rio Olympics alongside Gina Lückenkemper and Marie-Josée Ta Lou

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Elaine won the gold medal in the 100m race. Her time was 10.71 seconds. She beat Tori Bowie and fellow Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

In the 200m final, she won her second gold medal with a time of 21.78 seconds. She was the first Jamaican woman to win both the 100m and 200m at one Olympics. She also won a silver medal with the Jamaican 4 × 100m relay team.

2017–2019: More Success and Challenges

On February 18, 2017, Elaine ran a personal best of 6.98 seconds in the 60m indoor race. This made her one of the fastest women ever over that distance.

At the 2017 IAAF World Relays in Nassau, she helped her team win a gold medal in the 4 × 200m relay. She had a great start to her outdoor season, winning her first three individual international races. She also won the Jamaican 100m title with a time of 10.71 seconds.

Thompson at the Brussels Memorial Van Damme in 2017

At the 2017 World Championships in London, Elaine finished fifth in the 100m final. She later bounced back at the Diamond League Finals, winning the 100m.

In 2018, she finished fourth in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she won a silver medal in the 4 × 100m relay. She also won her 100m title at the Jamaican Championships again.

In 2019, Elaine won a bronze medal in the 4 × 200m relay at the World Relays. She won her fourth straight 100m title at the Jamaican Championships with a time of 10.73 seconds. She also won the 200m title. In August, she won gold in the 100m at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.

Thompson before the 100 m final at the 2019 World Championships

At the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, she finished fourth in the 100m. She had to pull out of the 200m race due to her Achilles tendon injury.

2020-2021: Triple Olympic Champion and Record-Breaking Speed

In 2020, Elaine ran the fastest 100m time of the year, 10.85 seconds. She won two Diamond League events that year.

In 2021, she had a strong start to her season. At the Jamaican Championships, she placed third in both the 100m and 200m. This qualified her for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Elaine won the 100m final. Jamaica won all three medals in that race. She ran the 100m in 10.61 seconds, setting a new Jamaican and Olympic record. This was the second-fastest time in history. She also ran the fastest speed ever by a female sprinter, 39.7 km/h.

She then won the 200m gold medal with a new personal best of 21.53 seconds. This was the second-fastest time in history for that race. She also helped the Jamaican 4 × 100m relay team win gold. They set a new national record of 41.02 seconds.

After the Olympics, Elaine continued to break records. At a race in Eugene, she ran the 100m in 10.54 seconds. This was her new personal best and the second-fastest time ever. She became the first woman to run faster than 40 km/h. She finished her amazing season with more wins and awards.

She was named the World Female Athlete of the Year by World Athletics. She also won the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award.

2022: World Bronze and Commonwealth Golds

In 2022, Elaine started her outdoor season with a world-leading time of 10.89 seconds in the 100m. She won more Diamond League races. At the Jamaican Championships, she placed third in the 100m and second in the 200m.

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Elaine won a bronze medal in the 100m. Jamaica won all three medals in that race. In the 200m, she finished seventh. She then won a silver medal with the 4 × 100m relay team.

In August, she competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She won gold in the 100m and then completed a sprint double by winning the 200m. She set a new Games record in the 200m. She also won a silver medal in the 4 × 100m relay.

2023-Present: Injuries and Comeback

In 2023, Elaine had some injuries that affected her season. She finished fifth in the 100m at the Jamaican Championships. This meant she did not qualify for individual races at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. However, she did help the Jamaican 4 × 100m relay team win a silver medal.

Later in 2023, her running improved. She ran under 11 seconds again in the 100m. She won races at the Diamond League meets in Bellinzona and Brussels. At the Diamond League Final, she finished third in the 100m with her best time of the season, 10.79 seconds.

In 2024, Elaine suffered another Achilles injury at a race in New York City. Because of this, she announced that she would miss the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Personal Life

Elaine Thompson is married to Derron Herah, who used to be a sprinter and coach.

Achievements

Thompson celebrates her 100 m victory at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Personal Best Times

Here are Elaine Thompson-Herah's fastest times in different races:

International Medals

Elaine Thompson (L) with her silver for the 200 m at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, with Dafne Schippers and Veronica Campbell-Brown (R)

Representing  Jamaica

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
2013	CAC Championships	Morelia, Mexico	1st	4 × 100 m relay	43.58
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	1st	4 × 100 m relay	42.44	GR (Games Record)
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	2nd	200 m	21.66	(+0.2 m/s) PB (Personal Best)
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	41.07	WL (World Lead) CR (Championship Record) NR (Jamaican Record)
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, OR, United States	3rd	60 m	7.06
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	100 m	10.71	(+0.5 m/s)
			1st	200 m	21.78	(+0.5 m/s) WL (World Lead)
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	41.36	SB (Season Best)
2017	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	1st	4 × 200 m relay	1:29.04	CR (Championship Record) NR (Jamaican Record)
	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	5th	100 m	10.98	(+0.1 m/s)
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	4th	60 m	7.08
	Commonwealth Games	Gold Coast, Australia	4th	200 m	22.30	(+0.9 m/s) SB (Season Best)
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	42.52
2019	World Relays	Yokohama, Japan	3rd	4 × 200 m relay	1:33.21
	Pan American Games	Lima, Peru	1st	100 m	11.18	(-0.6 m/s)
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	4th	100 m	10.93	(+0.1 m/s)
			7th (heats)	200 m	22.61	(+0.7 m/s) Q (Qualified)
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	1st	100 m	10.61	(-0.6 m/s) WL (World Lead) OR (Olympic Record) NR (National Record)
			1st	200 m	21.53	(+0.8 m/s) WL (World Lead) NR (Jamaican Record), 2nd all time
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	41.02	NR (Jamaican Record)
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	3rd	100 m	10.81	(+0.8 m/s)
			7th	200 m	22.39	(+0.6 m/s)
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	41.18	SB (Season Best)
	Commonwealth Games	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	100 m	10.95	(+0.4 m/s)
			1st	200 m	22.02	(+0.6 m/s) GR (Games Record)
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	43.08
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	2nd (h)	4 × 100 m relay	41.70

Major Wins and Titles

• Diamond League Overall 100 m winner: 2016, 2017, 2021
• Jamaican Athletics Championships
  • 100 metres: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • 200 metres: 2015, 2019

See also

In Spanish: Elaine Thompson-Herah para niños

• List of Olympic medalists in athletics (women)
• List of World Athletics Championships medalists (women)
• 100 metres
• 200 metres