After a Disappointing Season Opener, Elaine Thompson-Herah Set to Run at the USATF NYC Grand Prix

The Jamaican athletes have caught the attention of the track community with their stellar performances this season. Although the expectations are quite high from these athletes, they are far behind the world lead and have adequate timing. Elaine Thompson-Herah is also on this list after the five-time Olympic gold medalist’s season opener at the Prefontaine Classic fell short of her expectations.

According to Track & Field Gazette’s X post, the Jamaican athlete will return to American soil to compete in the USATF NYC Grand Prix 100-meter sprint. This demonstrates that she has not dropped out of Olympic contention solely because of a single poor performance in her successful sprinting career.

However, the USATF NYC Grand Prix, which features six American athletes, will not provide her with an easy grid to confront. Gabby Thomas would be a formidable challenger to the Jamaican athlete, as she was seeking a first-place finish following her disappointing USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix performance.

Both of these sprinters would be planning their strategy since they don’t want to be back in the pack as the Olympic trials approach.

 

Women’s 100m startlist – USATF New York Grand Prix

Elaine Thompson-Herah
Aleia Hobbs
Gabby Thomas
Favour Ofili
Morolake Akinosun
Celera Barnes
Mikiah Brisco
Zoe Hobbs
Kennedy Blackmon

– June 9

— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) June 4, 2024

Even though Elaine didn’t perform as expected in her season debut, a few track legends have a different perspective on the Jamaican star’s plans for the remainder of the season.

Elaine Thompson-Herah Hiding Her Full Potential

Many athletes use a variety of methods during Olympic seasons to stay one step ahead of their competitors. While some go completely wild with securing world leads and demonstrating their prowess, others prefer to underperform before major meets in order to avoid the audience’s and rivals’ attention.

This technique was mentioned by Justin Gatlin in his Ready Set Go podcast on YouTube, and Rodney A. Green agrees with him, as they believe the Jamaican athlete isn’t concerned about the timings right now, but she is aware of what she can achieve once she comes to Paris after the trials.

The sprint legends believe Elaine Thompson-Herah only wanted her appearance fees from her sponsor for the time being, and she is already planning her quest for the gold medal at the Olympics.