KINGSTON, Jamaica— Nineteen-year-old Tia Clayton will carry the hopes of all Jamaicans when she lines up in the women’s 100m finals at her first Olympic Games after an impressive semi-finals run at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday.

Clayton ran a time of 10.89 seconds (0.2m/s) to win her semi-final heat.

The two-time World Under-20 100m champion got off to a fast start and won impressively.

Shashalee Forbes failed to advance after she placed sixth in her heat in 10.20 seconds (0.1m/s) but the massive shock was the failure by two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to show for her semi-finals heat.

Observer Online understands that the Jamaican pulled out of the race after feeling discomfort in her hamstring during warm-ups.

After being initially denied access to the warm-up track earlier in the day, the 37-year-old was seen warming up but did not show up when the athletes took to the track.

Jamaicans have won the last four Olympic Games women’s 100m gold medals. Fraser-Pryce won in 2008 and 2012, while Elaine Thompson-Herah won in 2016 and 2021.

-Paul A Reid