PARIS, France — As the highly anticipated men’s 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approaches, coach Stephen Francis is eager to see how Kishane Thompson handles himself in the rounds.
Emphasizing that the event is about speed and not necessarily experience, Francis believes that Thompson, who ran the fastest time in the world this year at 9.77 seconds in June, is in excellent shape and should have little to worry about.
Coach Francis is adamant that Thompson’s lack of experience on the big stage is inconsequential compared to the need for speed. “Everybody is talking about experience. It is all about speed. When the gun fires, you run from there to here. Whoever gets there first, wins. So it has nothing to do with experience or mental pressure or whatever. He just has to execute as well as he can,” Francis stated.
Consistently impressive
Thompson’s performance this season has been consistently impressive. With times of 9.82, 9.84, and 9.77 seconds, Francis is confident in his athlete’s form. “He has averaged 9.81 over three rounds. Maybe Usain Bolt did the same in 2009 when he ran 9.58. But I don’t think anyone else has done that. I don’t think based on his June shape he has much to worry about in the rounds,” Francis noted.
Francis also remains unfazed by the prospect of psychological tactics from competitors, particularly American sprinter Noah Lyles. “I don’t think Noah Lyles can play mind games this time,” Francis remarked. “I think you will find he plays mind games with those he is faster than. I don’t think he will have the opportunity this time around, but we will see if his mind games work on people who have demonstrated they are a lot faster than he is.”
Lyles, known for his confident demeanor, recently expressed his determination to become the first American to win the Olympic 100m title since Justin Gatlin 20 years ago. He enters the competition with a personal best of 9.81 seconds set at the recent London Diamond League meet. However, the Jamaican duo of Thompson and Oblique Seville pose a significant challenge to his aspirations.
Kishane Thompson’s untapped potential
As Jamaica seeks its first major global 100-metre title in eight years, Francis did not make any predictions but highlighted Thompson’s untapped potential. “I can’t predict what he is going to do. Just to say that I don’t think that anybody has seen him run at his maximum.
“Every race has eight people. And to win or come second depends not on you, but on the other people in the race. It appears to me that he is at least as good as he was at the national championships in June, so we will see.”
With the spotlight on Kishane Thompson and his fellow competitors, the stage is set for an exhilarating showdown in the men’s 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
