ELAINE Thompson-Herah winning her first World Athletics Female Athlete-of-the-Year award has been described as a “reward for exemplary performances”, by the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).
Thompson-Herah crowned her outstanding season when she became the third Jamaican woman to win the award, on her third try, joining Merlene Ottey and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

She had retained her Olympic Games sprint double, winning the 100m and 200m in national records, the second-fastest times ever and also won a third gold medal in the 4x100m relays.

The tribute from the JOA said, “It is indeed an admirable accomplishment, the reward for exemplary performances and a testimony to her valour in transforming the challenges of a year bedevilled with the pandemic into inspiring feats.

“The JOA salutes her and exhorts her to continue to be driven in her athletic pilgrimage of excellence,” the JOA president Christopher Samuda also said.

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) added: “The JAAA congratulates Mrs Elaine Thompson-Herah on being the recipient of the prestigious 2021 World Athletics Female Athlete-of-the-Year award. As the third Jamaican female to achieve this feat, we are proud of her accomplishments which will serve to inspire our nation.”

And Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, Minister responsible for sports, said in a release: “This nation is so happy for Elaine and proud of her for winning the top award for women in track and field for 2021. But she put her hands up with her performances in the Olympics and World Games.

In fact, she has enjoyed one of the finest sprint seasons in history, retaining her 100m and 200m titles in 10.61 seconds and 21.53 seconds in Tokyo, as well as adding another gold medal to her collection in the 4x100m relay, which she and her colleagues won in national record time of 41.02 seconds.”

She noted that Elaine did not just stop there because in her first race after the Olympics “she won the 100m in a world-leading time of 10.54 seconds, which makes her second on the all-time list for the 100m and 200m”.
“It is so great, Elaine now makes it a trio of Female Athletes of the Year for Jamaica.

“We salute Elaine Thompson-Herah. She is just awesome!” the sport minister said. (Jamaica Observer)