Thompson-Herah wins women’s 200m gold in Tokyo

Elaine Thompson-Herah made Olympic history in Tokyo on Tuesday, emulating fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt to complete an unprecedented women’s sprinting “double-double” with victory in the 200 metres. Thompson-Herah, the 2016 Olympics 100m and 200m gold medallist who defended her 100m title on Saturday, sealed a record fourth individual gold after storming home in a blistering […]

Elaine Thompson-Herah made Olympic history in Tokyo on Tuesday, emulating fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt to complete an unprecedented women’s sprinting “double-double” with victory in the 200 metres.

Thompson-Herah, the 2016 Olympics 100m and 200m gold medallist who defended her 100m title on Saturday, sealed a record fourth individual gold after storming home in a blistering 21.53sec.

Namibian teenager Christine Mboma took silver in 21.81sec while the USA’s Gabby Thomas won bronze in 21.87sec.

The 29-year-old Thompson-Herah’s time was the second fastest in history after Florence Griffith Joyner’s world record of 21.34sec set at the drug-tarnished 1988 Seoul Olympics.

As well as becoming the first woman to claim a 100m-200m double-double, emulating Bolt, who eventually won three consecutive 100m-200m Olympic titles, Thompson-Herah is the only female track and field athlete to win four individual Olympic track golds.

“It really means a lot to me to be in that history book, because I’ve been through a lot and it tells my story,” Thompson-Herah said.

The Jamaican favourite had got off to a blazing start, building a lead off the bend which she never relinquished as she motored to the line.

It looked as if Thomas and Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce would take the silver and bronze, but that duo were passed by a scorching finish over the final 20 metres from the 18-year-old Mboma who plundered silver.

“The mission was to go again and capture the medal, which was the plan,” said Thompson-Herah.

Thompson-Herah had faced a battle to qualify for Tokyo, with a niggling Achilles problem hampering her fitness earlier this season.