Usain Bolt can’t stay calm as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce leads Jamaican sweep at World Athletics Championships

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates after winning gold at the 100m event at World Athletics Championships. (Photo: Reuters)

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed an astonishing fifth world 100 metres title on Sunday (July 17) when she clocked 10.67 seconds to edge Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah in a brilliant Jamaican clean sweep. Fraser-Pryce got her usual superb start and held her form as fast-finishing Jackson clocked a personal best 10.73 for silver and Thompson-Herah took bronze with 10.81.

The Jamaican sprinters gold special praise from men’s world record holder and track legend Usain Bolt. The now-retired sprinter tweeted ‘1 2 3’ with three Jamaican flags to celebrate the clean sweep in women’s 100m event.

1 2 3

— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) July 18, 2022

No nation had completed a medal sweep in the women’s 100m at the worlds, though Jamaica did it at last year’s Olympics via the same three athletes – and also in 2008. Fraser-Pryce now has five 100m world titles and two Olympic 100m golds and at 35 shows absolutely no signs of slowing down as Sunday`s time was the fastest winning time of all those seven global victories.

Thompson-Herah, who has won back to back Olympic sprint doubles and is second-fastest on the all-time list behind only Florence Griffith-Joyner, is still without an individual world title. Dina Asher-Smith, silver medallist in 2019, matched her British record of 10.83 in lane eight for fourth.

American Katie Nageotte wins pole vault world gold

Olympic champion Katie Nageotte won the United States’ first women’s pole vault gold at the World Championships in more than two decades on Sunday, with compatriot Sandi Morris taking silver and Australian Nina Kennedy the bronze.

Nageotte cleared 4.85 metres on her first attempt to win her first medal at the worlds, while Morris had to settle for a third straight silver after clearing the same height but on her second attempt. The last American to win gold in the event was Stacy Dragila at the 2011 Edmonton worlds.

It was the third straight gold for the American women in the field events in Eugene, Oregon, after Chase Ealey won the shot put and Brooke Andersen triumphed in the hammer throw.

(with Reuters inputs)