JAMAICAN-BORN Olympic and World Champion Donovan Bailey says he’s expecting Kishane Thompson to dominate the 100m this year, after an impressive start to his season.

Olympic and World Championship silver medallist Thompson ran a world best in the 150m at the Miramar Invitational in Florida last Saturday, clocking 14.92 seconds and bettering the 14.97 set by Jamaican-born British sprinter Linford Christie in 1994.

It was the first 150m event of Thompson’s career and the first time running more than 100m since he contested the 200m at the Velocity Fest in 2022.

The 24-year-old has yet to open his season in the 100m but has starred in the 60m, highlighted by a personal best 6.45 seconds to claim silver in the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland last month.

Former world record holder Bailey, who won 100m gold for Canada at the 1996 Olympics and the 1995 World Championships, says he’s impressed with Thompson’s early season form, especially given his physical build.

“What I loved about what he’s done is his consistency — his consistency in relaxing, his consistency in getting out of his drive phase and knowing where his body position is — and this came through in the 150m,” Bailey said on his YouTube channel.

“Kishane’s a big dude. When I competed, my competition weight was 209 pounds — and he’s a bigger guy than I am — so I think that it’s incredible that he can muster such incredible strength around the corner, come off the turn, and maintain it.”

Thompson was the 100m world leader in 2025, clocking 9.75 seconds to retain his national title. He recorded 10 sub-10 clockings over the year but ultimately finished second behind Oblique Seville in the final of the World Championships in Tokyo.

Although this year isn’t a major championship year, Thompson is expected to compete on the circuit in the Diamond League and potentially the Commonwealth Games in July, and in the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in September.

Bailey says Thompson will be hard to beat as he continues to perfect his sprinting technique.

“I think Kishane is ready. I think that he’s doing some speed endurance running or training for him to relax when he gets to that 75-80m mark and let the race come to him,” he said.

“Although you’ll have someone like Christian Coleman or some of the other shorter athletes that could probably match him over the first 30m, when he gets up, adjusts, and allows everything to come to him, he’s the best guy, top speed-wise. He’s going to be good this summer. I just kind of like what he’s doing, and he’s kind of embracing his total speed and embodying who he’s supposed to be.”

Thompson is expected to face his biggest test of the season so far when he battles Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, and American sprint stars Christian Coleman and Kenny Bednarek at the Xiamen Diamond League in China next month.

Former Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey of CanadaAFP