Elaine Thompson runs 2nd fastest 200m of year
Double Olympic champion Jamaican Elaine Thompson ran the second fastest time in the world this year to edge great rival Dafne Schippers in the women’s 200 metres at the Weltklasse Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.
Thompson led only in the final five metres to clock a Dialond League record of 21.85 seconds — .07 outside the new Jamaican star’s gold medal-winning time in Rio de Janeiro.
Schippers of the Netherlands was .01 back in her season-best of 21.86 after tying up in the final strides when Thompson surged. The 2015 world champion took Olympic silver in 21.88.
Allyson Felix of the United States was third in her season-best time of 22.02. That lifted the 2012 Olympic champion to fourth on the world list this year.
Simone Facey clocked 22.50 for fifth place while the other Jamaican in the field, Veronica Campbell-Brown was sixth in 22.51.
There were two other Jamaican individual winners at the meet. Former world reecord holder Asafa Powell won the men’s 100-metre race in 9.94 and Christania Williams easily took the women’s 100 metres in 11.04. American Barbara Pierre was second in 11.20.
Powell cruised home ahead of South African Akani Simbine and Ben Youssef Neite of the Ivory Coast. Both Simbine and Neite were credited with the same time, 9.99. Jamaican Omar McLeod, who won the 110-metre hurdles gold medal in Rio, finished sixth in 10.12.
In the women’s 100-metre hurdles, Jamaican Megan Simmonds finished sixth in 12.90. World record holder Kendra Harrion won in 12.63 seconds.
