Thompson-Herah doubles up on Tokyo 2020 sprint titles, wins Women’s 200m

Elaine Thompson-Herah

By Shehan Daniel reporting from Tokyo, Japan 

Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah completed a sprint double-double yesterday, repeating her achievement from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by adding the Women’s 200m to the 100m title she won at Tokyo 2020. 
Thompson-Herah was challenged by her countrywoman Shelley Ann Fraser Pryce until the final straight before the former pulled away to win with a time of 21.53 secs, a new national record. 

Fraser Pryce was however beaten at the line and pushed out of the medal placing by 18-year-old Namibian Christine Mboma, who clocked 21.81 secs and the United States’ Gabrielle Thomas, who ran in a time of 21.87 secs. 

Norway’s Karston Warholm shattered his own World Record in the Men’s 400m Hurdles, in a race so quick that six of the eight finalists set personal bests. 

Warholm took nearly a second off the World Record he set in July this year, finishing with a time of 45.94 seconds, challenged closely by Rai Benjamin of the United States who finished two-tenths of a second behind, and within Warholm’s previous World Record time. 

Benjamin’s was a new North American record with third placed Brazillian Alison dos Santos bettering the previous South American record with a time of 46.72 secs. 

Kyron McMaster, of Virgin Islands, who finished just outside the medals set a new National Record, as did Turkey’s Yasmani Copello and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi who finished sixth and seventh respectively. Meanwhile, Germany’s Malaika Mihambo leapt a season’s best 7.00 metres to win gold in the Women’s Long Jump event, with Brittney Reese of the United States edging Ese Brume of Nigeria to silver, courtesy of a superior second jump after the both tied for first place. 

Both registered a jump of 6.97 metres as their best, but Reese had a second-best effort of 6.94 metres, while Brume’s next best was 6.90 metres.

Christopher Nilsen of the United States cleared a personal best height in the Men’s Pole Vault, but that was not enough to beat Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, who claimed gold with an 6.02-metre effort. 

Thiago Braz took bronze for Brazil with a jump of 5.87 metres, a season’s best for the Brazilian.  
All three podium finishers in the Women’s Hammer Throw event recorded season’s best, with Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk taking gold with a throw of 78.48 metres. 

In second place was Zheng Wang of China, who recorded a distance of 77.03 metres, and Malwina Kopron, also of Poland, in third throwing for 75.49 metres.