by Deji Ogeyingbo
This is Deji Ogeyingbo’s feature on Kishane Thompson, the Olympic silver medalist in the 100 meters, and the expectations of this young Jamaican from his homeland.
Kishane Thompson, the Olympics, and the season everything changed
The men’s 100m is one of the most watched events at the Olympic Games. Paris wasn’t different. All you do is run for less than ten seconds, and you are home and dry. It is that simple, and yet it is not. In the French capital, eight men lined up for one chance for glory, and it eventually went to Noah Lyles.
All sorts of records were broken over the distance in Paris. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t bore you with all of that for now. After all, the numbers for the non-purists weren’t much of a great deal. It was mainly about the conversations on how Usain Bolt made the event look so simple compared to how they had to wait a few seconds before they determined who the winner was between Lyles and the new kid on the block, Kishane Thompson.
Thompson was meant to become the next global star of the sport after Usain Bolt. The Jamaican had undoubtedly been the bookies’ favorite for the win heading into the 100m. His world was about to change. Take down the Loquacious Lyles, and the world would be his. There is usually talk about how an Olympian takes four years to train to run for 10 seconds. Destinies and big sponsorship contracts all depend on how you execute those moments.
And to be fair to Thompson, he was well primed to take the Gold. He had taken down all the runners that got to the final before Paris, except the Americans. Letsile Tebogo, Akani Simbine, and even his countryman, Oblique Seville, had failed to win a race against him. His confidence was through the roof at that point. The snag, though, was he was yet to face either of the Americans, especially when the stakes were high.
It’s the old cliché, but it’s true: time and work matter. Lyles and Fred Kerley have been doing it at the top level for a long time; there’s a synchronicity and chemistry to what they do, which multiplies how they can manage their nerves and execute their races flawlessly. It sounds simple, but when you break down the race and how Lyles had the best execution, you realize the lack of experience played a part in Thompson’s chance of taking Gold in Paris.
The new Olympic silver medalist expressed no regrets after competing in one of the fastest 100m finals in Olympic history in front of a vibrant crowd at Stade de France in Paris 2024. Reflecting on the race, he stated, “I wouldn’t do anything over. I don’t see it as something to redo. I made a mistake, and I have to accept it and move on. There’s no going back.”
The situation Thompson finds himself in stark contrasts with where Lyles is currently positioned. Thompson, competing in his first Olympics and significant championship, must experience racing in front of over 70,000 spectators. While being trained by Stephen Francis, one of the most accomplished sprint coaches of this generation, mitigates some of the challenges, Thompson’s age and inexperience are significant factors. Moreover, many of his abilities still need to match up to Lyles, highlighting the disparity between the two athletes.
The question is how Thompson is going to take this loss going forward. He has consistently shown that he is a 9.7s runner on his good day. Nobody is going to take that away from him. Among all the athletes on the grid, perhaps only Lyles can run those times consistently. Some could even throw Kerley into that mix. One thing is sure, though, this experience will do him a world of good.
Thompson’s challenge is pretty much unique — even more so than the hurdles faced by previous Jamaican sprinters like Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake. These athletes have set a high standard, and the expectations from the Caribbean nation are relentless. While there may be some leniency toward Thompson for now, anything less than gold in the future will likely be seen as a disappointment.
