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The fastest man in the world this year, Kishane Thompson said ‘anything is possible’ when it comes to potentially breaking Steve Mullings’ men’s 100-metre meet record of 9.80 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic today.
Thompson is scheduled to line up in the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic, one of the Diamond League meets, which is being held at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Speaking in a pre-race interview, Thompson said, while he will not be focusing on the record when he takes to the track, the mark is within his reach.
“Anything is possible,” he said. “But I won’t jinx it for the bad or for the good. I just got to come out there and execute, do my best and enjoy myself.”
Thompson is fresh off running the fastest time ever in the last 10 years, when he reached to a personal best of 9.75 at the recently concluded National Junior and Senior Championships at the National Stadium.
The mark was Thompson’s third time dipping below 9.80 in his career, and the athlete said he is feeling no ill effects from his blistering race last week.
“It’s a good feeling. For me, it’s just always going out there and enjoying myself in high-level competition. It’s just being consistently improving.
“It’s pretty much the same. I’m not feeling any discomfort or feeling tired. I’m ready,” he assured.
TOUGH FIELD
Thompson will have to fend off a stacked field, however, if he is to etch his name into the Prefontaine record book.
Ackeem Blake will join his countryman as the only other Jamaican in the field, and will enter with a season’s and lifetime best of 9.88.
They will face off against the United States’ trio of Christian Coleman, Trayvon Bromell and Brandon Hicklin.
Bromell enters the race with a season’s best of 9.84, the second-fastest in the field behind Thompson’s world leading mark of 9.75.
Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes will also be throwing his name into the hat, alongside the Australian speedster Lachlan Kennedy and South Africa’s rising talent, Bayanda Walaza.
The race is set to be held at 3:12 p.m. Jamaica time.
Tina Clayton, the reigning Jamaican national women’s 100m champion, will face a stern test as she is scheduled to line up in a highly competitive field.
Clayton, who recently set a new personal best of 10.81, will take on the reigning Olympic champion Julien Alfred and the reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson.
World leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who recently set a new personal best of 10.73, will also line up alongside her compatriots Twanisha Terry and Maia McCoy.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, Dina Asher-Smith and Favour Ofili will also be looking to claim a statement win.
‘LEVELL’ UP
Bryan Levell will also look to take down some the sport’s leading names when he lines up in the men’s 200m.
Chief among them will be the reigning men’s Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo who will be racing for the first time since March.
Kenny Bednarek will enter with the best season’s best among the field, but will also expect a challenge from Trinidad and Tobago’s Jareem Richards.
Alexander Ogando, the Dominican Republic national record holder, is also a notable entrant, as the speedster is in the form of his life, running a new personal best of 19.86 this year.
Jamaica will also be represented in the men’s 400m hurdles, as Malik-James King and Assinie Wilson are scheduled to line up in the event.
All eyes, however, will be on the massive clash between USA’s Rai Benjamin and Brazil star Alisson Dos Santos.
Gold and bronze medallists respectively at the Olympics last year, the two men are the only ones to have gone below 47 seconds this year and are expected to lead the race from the front.
Also in action will be Olympic gold medallist and record holder Roje Stona, in the men’s discus throw event.
Stona, who has committed to switch allegiance from Jamaica to Turkey, will join recently crowned national champion Ralford Mullings in a field which also includes world record holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania.
English (US) ·