PARIS, France — Jamaica could make a significant mark on the medal table at the Olympic Games in Paris on Saturday as two-time 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, along with Tia Clayton and Shashalee Forbes, are set to contest the women’s 100m semi-finals, starting at 12:00 pm Jamaica time.

The final is scheduled for 2:20 pm.

Jamaican sprinters have dominated the event over the last 16 years and will be looking to make it five straight women’s 100m titles at the Olympic Games.

Fraser-Pryce won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2012, while Thompson-Herah took home the double in 2016 and 2021. However, the American reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who is the fastest woman globally with her time of 10.71 seconds, will be aiming to end the Jamaican dominance.

Fraser-Pryce, 37, competing in her fifth Olympic Games, led the Jamaican qualifiers to the semi-finals after she clocked 10.92 seconds to finish second in her heat. That race was won by Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith of the Ivory Coast, who ran 10.87, the fastest time on Friday.

Fraser-Pryce’s time was the 86th sub-11-second performance of her illustrious career, and she will be aiming to add another medal to her collection of three gold, four silver, and a bronze at the Olympic Games.

Clayton, who has been having an outstanding season, looked very smooth in qualifying for the semi-finals after clocking 11.00 seconds to finish second in her heat. The 19-year-old, who is the second-fastest Jamaican this year with her season’s and personal best time of 10.86, is coached by world-renowned Stephen Francis at the MVP Trackand Field Club. There has been talk within the Jamaican camp this week that Clayton has been performing exceptionally well in training and stands a real outside shot of winning a medal.

Forbes, 28, a last-minute replacement for three-time national champion Shericka Jackson, clocked 11.19 to finish second in her heat behind American winner Twanisha Terry (11.15). Forbes, competing in her second Olympic Games, was grateful for the opportunity to represent the country in an individual event at the Games for the first time in her career. She noted that she would be giving it her all in the semi-finals.

“I am just taking each round as my final, so I am going to go into the semi-final and give it my all and leave the rest in God’s hands. I am going to go out there in the semi-final and give it my all for my family and the country on Saturday,” Forbes said.

“Even though I came for only the 4x100m relays, I have races after the Olympics, and as a professional, where I am called upon, I am expected to show up. That was what I did because I have always been training,” she added.

The Jamaicans made a clean sweep of the medals at the last Olympic Games in the women’s 100m in Tokyo, Japan. Elaine Thompson-Herah won the gold, with Fraser-Pryce taking the silver and Shericka Jackson the bronze.

Shashalee Forbes

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Photos: Naphtali Junior)

Tia Clayton