"Not even Usain Bolt has ever had that"-Coach Stephen Francis expresses confidence on Kishane Thompson's 'speed' ahead of Paris Olympics

By Muskan Sharma

Modified Jul 31, 2024 11:18 GMT

Jamaican coach Stephen Francis recently expressed confidence in his student and athlete, Kishane Thompson’s speed. He made his comparison to legendary sprinter Usain Bolt and believed that the 23-year-old is yet to deliver the best of his capacity. Kishane Thompson is set to compete in the 100m race at the Paris Olympics 2023.

Kishane Thompson gained the limelight in June at the Jamaican National Championship. The athlete clocked an unbelievable 9.77s in the 100m race. His incredible win made the sports world anticipate him joining the list including Usain Bolt and other prominent athletes. Before the finals of the national championship, he had stunned fans with his 9.82s timing in the heats of the trials.

Recently, ahead of the 100m trials at the Paris Olympics, Thompson’s coach, Stephen Francis, was asked about the athlete’s preparation for the great showdown. The coach explained to "Jamaican Gleaner" that Thompson has impressed the track and field fraternity with his speed at previous championships. However, he still feels people have not ‘yet seen him run.’

“Everybody knows how he has done with his times and I can pretty say that I don't think anybody has yet seen him run,”

Furthermore, Francis said that he cannot predict the 100m race. He feels that Thompson is as good as he was during the Jamaican National Championship.

"Every race he runs a PB, and to win or come second or third...I'm in no position to predict what anyone else will do. It appears he is as good as he was during the national championships, so we will see."

Stephen Francis mentioned that even eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt did not have a series of terrific timings at the national championships like Kishane Thompson.

"I don't see any pressure, it's about speed. So it has nothing to do with experience or mental pressure or whatever. He just has to be able to execute as well as he can...He ran 9.82, 9.84, and 9.77, not even Usain Bolt has ever had that in a series in a championship," he added.

The preliminary round of the men’s 100m race in the Paris Olympics will kickstart on August 3 followed by the finals on August 5.

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Kishane Thompson comments on his speed after clocking 9.77 at the Jamaican Olympic Trials

Thompson at Gyulai István Memorial – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix 2024 (Image via Instagram/iamkishane_)

Kishane Thompson delivered a thrilling 100m run by clocking 9.77s at the heats of the Jamaican Olympic Trials. Later on, the athlete explained his thoughts towards his attention-grabbing performance. Thomspon told World Athletics that he was in his best shape ‘health-wise'. Running at the trials has helped him to understand his mind and body better.

He believed that he could run a lot faster than his timing at the trials,

"I was never short on confidence, but I believe I have much more to do as I can run way faster."

Lastly, Kishane Thompson added that he would be looking forward to a ‘great competition and nice vibes’ from his senior athletes at the Paris Olympics.