For Grace Allen, the mother of Jamaica’s newest sprinting sensation Kishane Thompson, getting the opportunity to watch her son compete at the Olympics Games in France is a dream that she is clinging to, even as his much-anticipated debut at this level draws ever closer.

Thompson, the fastest man in the 100m this year with a personal best time of 9.77 seconds, has captured the imagination of fans and will enter the Olympic competition as a firm favourite for a medal in the French capital.

Allen, who says she is extremely proud of her son’s achievements, believes that he is primed to deliver more success even as she still clings to the hope that she will be there among the fans inside the Stade de France during his date with destiny.

“I don’t even know if I will be able to be there with him in Paris because time is winding down and I was trying to get the visa and up to now, it hasn’t come through. To be there in Paris would be a really great feeling and experience for me. I would be extremely happy to be there with him,” Allen told the Jamaica Observer.

A surprise for most in the track and field world, Thompson’s meteoric rise is a case of fulfilment for Allen, who has had to witness her son’s injury setbacks and challenges over the years, as he struggled to turn early hints of promise during his days at Garvey Maceo High to the current manifestations on the world stage.

“I am really happy for him, with the injuries that were setting him back, it was really a challenge and to see that he has overcome all of that at this time, it’s really a blessing and I am feeling so happy for him,” Allen said. “I knew from a long time ago that he has the talent, he is focused and that this is his dream, so I am really happy that he will get a chance to live it.”

With the men’s 100m competition set to get underway in Paris on Saturday at 4:45am (Jamaica time), anticipation and excitement is at fever pitch in the family’s usually sleepy seaside community of Mitchell Town, located in Clarendon.

Allen shared that several community members are planning to stage a viewing party in the community as they celebrate their hometown hero on his quest towards Olympic glory.

“Everybody is so excited, everyone is happy and supportive. Everyone is really loving what he is doing and very proud of him.”

According to the soft-spoken matriarch, Thompson was always interested in athletics and showed early signs that he would develop into a serious sprinter from as early as his basic school years.

“He used to do a lot of running at basic school but it was really during his primary school days that he really started to have an impact. He was always very good and was a favourite during sports day when he was always winning.”

Thompson ended up at Garvey Maceo via Bustamante High School and was eventually recruited by MVP Track Club’s Paul Francis, after the young sprinter decided against taking up a US-based scholarship, preferring to stay closer to his close-knit family, which includes a fraternal twin Kishaun and an older sister, Keisha-Gay.

As she waits with fading hope that she will get the opportunity to travel to Paris to share a special moment with her son, Allen has not lost an opportunity to keep him grounded and encouraged as he emerges into a new stage of his professional career.

“He is always a focused person and whatever he is doing, he does it to the best of his ability, whether it’s school work or athletics, he just always does his best, that’s him. I just make sure to tell him that I am proud of him and that he should continue doing what he is doing and remain focused,” said Allen.

As he gets ready to take the spotlight in the City of Lights, Jamaica’s newest sprinting hope carries the dreams of an expectant nation but as his confident mother reassures, the 23-year-old is driven by these moments, fuelled by family, focus and the fire of frustration, after years of battling to find his best.

If the words of his Coach Stephen Francis mean anything — and they usually do — Thompson’s current best of 9.77 seconds will be taken a few notches lower by the end of the championship and it’s left to be seen where that will leave him in the race for Olympic glory.