Kishane Thompson of MVP Track Club stunned the National Stadium for the second straight year with a massive personal best, recording the fastest time in the first round of the men’s 100 metres at the Jamaica Olympic trials on Thursday.
Thompson, who has competed sparingly, won in an eye-popping 9.82 seconds, surpassing his previous personal best of 9.85 seconds set at the Xiamen Diamond League meet in China on September 2, 2023. He is now the sixth-fastest man in Jamaican history.
The 22-year-old sprinter is best remembered for his surprising win at the National Championships on July 6 last year, where he delivered a personal best of 9.91 seconds to outpace Ackeem Blake. However, in a surprising turn of events, Thompson did not show up for the semifinals, leaving spectators baffled by his sudden exit from the trials.
On Thursday, Thompson powered ahead of the field and, just as he did last year, stunned Ackeem Blake, who finished second in 9.95 seconds, the second-fastest time heading into the semifinals on Friday.
Thompson’s 9.82 ties him with Oblique Seville as the second-fastest in the world this year, behind Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who leads with 9.79 seconds.
Seville also showed excellent form, winning his first-round heat in 9.98 seconds, the third-fastest time. Thompson, Seville, and Blake were the only runners to achieve sub-10-second clockings in the heats.
Also advancing to the semifinals are Julian Forte (10.00), Ryiem Forde (10.02), Bryan Levell (10.07), and Rohan Watson (10.07).
Yohan Blake failed to advance from the first round.
