Are Jamaicans Placing Too Much Pressure on Kishane Thompson?
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Kishane Thompson’s recent performance at Jamaica’s national trials has made him one to watch at the upcoming Olympic Games. However, with the fact that multiple other Jamaican athletes are yet to display standout performances going into the tournament, are eager Jamaican fans placing too much pressure on the first-time Olympian?
The top four fastest sprinters this year currently consist of two Jamaicans, Thompson and Oblique Seville, American Noah Lyles, and Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala. Seville, who is also expected to stun on the track in Paris, currently has a personal best of 9.82 seconds in the 100m.
Lyles is currently the third fastest Olympic qualifier this year with a time of 9.81s, while Omanyala is the second with 9.79s. Thompson claimed his current status as the fastest man this year with a 9.77s personal best.
Following Thompson’s breakout performance in June at the national trials, many Jamaican fans are now looking to the 23-year-old to secure gold at the Paris Olympics in the men’s 100m final. Fans are also looking to the young athlete to prevent a possible sprint double in the 100m and 200m by Lyles, who has become a contentious topic of discussion for many Jamaicans.
With the Olympic opening ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, Kishane is currently the top trending topic on Twitter/X, with track fans already dubbing him a “big threat.” Multiple track and field enthusiasts have also pointed out that Thompson will be Lyles’ greatest obstacle.
“He’ll attempt to win the Olympic sprint double. The 100m is seen as his stronger event but he will face a challenge from Kishane Thompson who set a world-leading time of 9.77 seconds,” one X user wrote.
Along with the pressure of securing gold, Thompson is also being continuously compared to Lyles, as fans of both sprinters disagree on what would qualify him as the fastest man this year or alive.
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