Thompson's coach Paul Francis has made a worrying revelation on his protege, revealing why he nearly pulled out of the final which he eventually won the silver.
Kishane Thompson's silver-medal performance in the 100m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics was nothing short of remarkable, but his head coach, Paul Francis has revealed a crucial factor that may have cost the 23-year-old Jamaican sprinter the gold.
In a shocking revelation, Francis disclosed that Thompson was battling a hamstring problem that occurred shortly after his semi-final win, which impacted his performance in the final.
Thompson, who entered the men’s 100m final as the season’s world leader with an impressive 9.77 seconds at the Jamaican Nationals in late June, had been in top form leading up to the Olympics.
However, his international experience was limited due to injuries that had plagued his career in recent years. Despite these setbacks, Thompson made his Olympic debut, marking a significant milestone as he had only made his Diamond League debut in July and had never competed in a World Championships.
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Noah Lyles & Letsile Tebogo beware: Jamaica's Kishane Thompson reveals master plan to contend for 200m soon
Thompson has burst onto the scene as one of the most prominent 100 meter racers over the last two months, but has revealed his plan to throw his hat onto the ring for the 200 meters soon.
In the final, Thompson clocked the same time as gold medalist Noah Lyles, with only microseconds separating the two. Fred Kerley of the United States secured bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds.
Reflecting on his Olympic experience, Thompson expressed his disappointment at missing out on gold by a mere 0.005 seconds, saying, "I didn't trust myself enough and my speed to bring me through the line." Despite the narrow defeat, he remained positive, adding, "I am disappointed… but I am also glad, I am grateful."
While many speculated that the lengthy pause before the race might have affected his performance, including former sprinter Asafa Powell, Francis pointed to a more pressing issue. Thompson's hamstring problem, which occurred shortly after his semi-final victory, was the real challenge he faced going into the final.
“I think they did what they had to do but as I told Kishane, ‘they did what they did, you need to do what you need to do, which is leave the line, tell them when you are ready, they can call you back,” Francis explained in an interview with Jam Feed.
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Justin Gatlin on how to take down Noah Lyles following Letsile Tebogo's 200m Olympic heroics
Gatlin has revealed the only way competitors can beat Noah Lyles after Letsile Tebogo managed to edge him out in the final of the 200m at the just-concluced Paris Olympics.
He continued, “You should not have allowed them to let you stand that long. I would not however call it a big factor but it probably affected him more because he is not used to it."
Francis elaborated on the nature of the pauses that occur in major championships, saying, "These kinds of pauses occur on the circuit, sometimes, not as long, but they tend to occur in big championships.
"I do not think he was used to that situation, but I believe his problem really occurred after the semis where he got a hamstring problem."
The injury posed a significant challenge for Thompson and his team in the lead-up to the final. "From our perspective, we had to spend our entire time trying to get him to run or participate based on how he said he was feeling.
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Justin Gatlin has shared why he will not condemn Noah Lyles for running with the COVID-19 virus in the men's 200m final at the Paris Olympics.
“ It was uncertain. Shawnterry (Manboard) had to use all kinds of techniques and so on not only to get him to be okay but to believe he was okay," Francis revealed.
The injury also affected Thompson's pre-race routine. "In the warm-up before they got to the call room, I intended to emphasize a bit on the start because I knew that was crucial but you could not do it because you did not want to encourage him to push out from the blocks and get himself hurt," Francis said.
Despite the setback, Thompson’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics demonstrated his immense talent and resilience. With a silver medal and the experience gained from competing at the highest level, Kishane Thompson’s future in athletics looks promising, and his journey is far from over.