Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah had a terrible performance at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday, but she doesn’t seem to be concerned about her bad start to the season.
Although the competition was touted as a matchup between the two world champions, Sha’Carri Richardson surprised many by winning the 100-meter race at the Eugene Diamond League, where Thompson-Herah placed eighth.
The Jamaican placed eighth with a time of 11.30, but as it was her first race of the year, she is optimistic that she will improve in preparation for defending her Olympic title.
Thompson-Herah, who has won twice in Eugene (2021 and 2022, with times of 10.54 and 10.79, respectively), did not have a terrific run, but the race will have helped her understand what she needs to do to perform at her best.
She will, nevertheless, take heart from the beginning of her season in 2021, when she won the 100- and 200-meter gold medals in the Tokyo Olympics with a time of 11.21 in her first race of the year.
As the season goes on, the 31-year-old hopes to improve and make her title defense in Paris. She was a late entry into the Prefontaine Classic.
