Thompson dominates IAAF Diamond League series

Jamaican Elaine Thompson (centre) wins the 100m women’s event ahead of The Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers (left) and South Africa’s Carina Horn at the Memorial van Damme athletics Diamond League meet in Brussels, Belgium on September 9, 2016. (Photo: AFP

Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson earned a cool US$100,000 in prize monies from the IAAF Diamond League series in what has been a dream season for her.

Thompson, 24, was just crowned Olympic 100m and 200m champion, thus becoming the first woman in 28 years to achieve the double.

Then to top it off, she won four of the seven 100m Diamond League races tallying US$40,000.

She won at the Rabat meet on May 22 in 11.02 seconds; Rome in 10.87 on June 2; Lausanne on August 25 clocking 10.78, and Brussels on September 9 in a Diamond League record 10.72 seconds. Each victory is valued at US$10,000.

A total of 50 points was enough to secure Thompson the prestigious Diamond Trophy and another US$40,000, taking her earnings in the 100m to a whopping US$80,000.

Thompson only participated in three 200m Diamond League races where she garnered US$20,000. She picked up US$4,000 after finishing third in Eugene in 22.16 seconds on May 28. Then she improved to second in Oslo with 22.64 on June 9 and walked away with US$6,000.

Thompson would save her best for last in winning the Diamond League final in Zurich in a record 21.85, defeating arguably the best 200m field ever assembled. Dafne Schippers, Allyson Felix and Veronica Campbell Brown were all left in her wake. Another US$10,000 for victory pushed her season’s prize monies to US$100,000 and second place in the 200m Diamond race with 30 points. Schippers won with 48 points.

It has been a remarkable season for Thompson who became the first woman in history to run four legal sub 10.8 times in one season. On July 1 she clocked 10.70 inside the National Stadium and equalled the national record held by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

On August 13 she won Olympic gold in 10.71 seconds, won the final of the Diamond League in 10.72 seconds on September 9, and did 10.78 seconds on August 25 in Luasanne.

She has the three fastest 100m times in the world and four of the top five times in what was a most dominant display this season.

Only three years ago, Thompson, who trains with the MVP track club, had a personal best of 11.41 seconds achieved in February of 2013. She improved to 11.17 seconds in May 2014, and lowered it even further by .33 seconds to 10.84 in 2015. Her personal best stands at 10.70 since July, which is a true testament to the outstanding work of coach Stephen Francis and the hard work she has put in.