Jamaican Sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah Breaks Flo-Jo's Decades-Old Olympic Record at Tokyo Games
Matthias Hangst/Getty
Elaine Thompson-Herah has made history!
On Saturday, the 29-year-old Jamaican track and field sprinter won the women's 100m event at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, besting the Olympic record that was previously held by Florence Griffith Joyner.
Thompson-Herah set the record with 10.61 seconds, allowing her to take home gold in the coveted sporting event. Flo-Jo previously held the record since the 1988 Seoul Olympics with 10.62 seconds. Her 10.49 seconds world record still stands, however.
RELATED: Who Is Leading the Olympic Medal Count? See the Totals for Every Country
Fellow Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the silver medal with a time of 10.74 seconds, while Shericka Jackson, also from Jamaica, finished the event in 10.76 seconds for bronze.
The win marked Thompson-Herah's third Olympic gold medal, adding to her 100m and 200m titles she previously scored in Rio de Janeiro back in 2016.
NEW OLYMPIC RECORD!@FastElaine defends her #Olympics 100m title - running the second fastest time EVER. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/9UA0ABtuEu
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2021
Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness celebrated his country's claim of the podium in a series of social media posts.
"Proud cya done! #TeamJamaica 1,2,3. Congratulations to our women for a scintillating finals," Holness, 49, wrote in one tweet. "... Let's continue to make history!"
Proud cya done! #TeamJamaica 1,2,3 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲 Congratulations to our women for a scintillating finals! Elaine Thompson Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson! Let's continue to make history! #Jaminate #TokyoOlympics2020 🥇🥈🥉#SuperPower pic.twitter.com/Udel8uKSU2
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) July 31, 2021
"Jamaica is truly a superpower on global track and field," he added in a second posting.
Speaking with reporters after her achievement, Thompson-Herah said that while she believed she could win, she still had some worries about getting the gold.
RELATED: Tiffany Haddish to Play Florence Griffith Joyner in New Movie About the Athlete's Life
"I knew I had it in me, but obviously I've had my ups and downs with injuries," she said after the race, per Sports Illustrated. "I've been keeping the faith all this time. It is amazing."
To learn more about Team USA, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.