Go for it Elaine! – Girl from Banana Ground eyes glory at Olympics
Elaine Thompson, a native of Banana Ground in Manchester, was among the stars at the recent 13th staging of the Jamaica International Invitational (JII) meet at the National Stadium. Thompson, who attended Christiana High and Manchester High, and is now attached to the MVP track club and the University of Technology Jamaica, rushed to victory over 100m in a wind-aided 10.71 seconds (+2.4m/s).
The 23-year-old Thompson is expected to run both the 100m and 200m at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. Last year, Thompson became the second-fastest Jamaican woman over 200m — behind the legendary Merlele Ottey — when she clocked 21.66 seconds to take the silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China. She was shaded for the gold medal by the powerful Dutch athlete, Dafne Schippers.
Photo shows Thompson immediately after her triumph at the JII meet. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)
