Nkosentsha Khumalo
Sports
The halls of athletics once reverberated with the echo of Jamaican glory, as the island nation stood tall and proud with the likes of Usain Bolt’s lightning fast footsteps lead the charade.
But in the blink of an eye, the United States has come with the speed of light past the bolt speed overthrowing Jamaica’s dominion over short-distance races and turning the world of track and field on its head.
The once invincible Jamaican stranglehold on these events has been overpowered, shattered by the ruthless speed and unrelenting determination of America’s formidable fleet of sprinting champions.
The reign of Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce was nothing short of legendary. Bolt, with his awe-inspiring record of 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 seconds in the 200m, cemented his place as the fastest man alive, setting a standard that has yet to be broken.
Similarly, Fraser-Pryce ruled the women’s 100m, holding the record of 10.60 seconds, as well as the 200m record of 21.64 seconds.
Though she also failed to break America’s Florence Griffith-Joyner’s Olympic record of 10.49 seconds in the 100 metres.
Not to be forgotten, Jamaica’s dominance was also evident in the 4x100m relay. Yohan Blake joined forces with Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, and Michael Frater to shatter the world record in 37.04 seconds.
On the women’s side, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce teamed up with Kerron Stewart, Sherone Simpson, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, setting their own world record of 41.02 seconds.
This golden era for Jamaica seemed to know no bounds, with their athletes setting the bar impossibly high for their rivals.
The era of Jamaica’s reign over the sprinting world extended from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. Usain Bolt’s dominance started in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he secured the first of his nine Olympic gold medals. This ignited the fire of Jamaican glory, and the nation went on to dominate the sprinting world for the next decade.
Meanwhile, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also made her mark in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning three gold medals and setting the stage for her dominance in the subsequent years.
Jamaica’s dominance was not limited to the short sprints, as the nation also had a strong presence in the 400m and 4x400m relay races.
On the 400m stage, the brilliant beauty, speed, and dominance of the “Pocket Rocket”, Veronica Campbell-Brown, were unsurpassed.
She secured gold medals in both the 400m and 200m at the Athens 2004 Olympics, and continued her streak of medals over the years, cementing her place as one of Jamaica’s finest.
With Jamaica’s reign secured, the United States of America was in a perpetual hunt for the throne, but would come up short.
Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, and others fiercely vied for the crown, but the Jamaican champions remained unmatched.
However, in Bolt’s final race at the 2017 World Championships, a hamstring injury brought about the end of his dominance, marking the beginning of America’s rise to power.
While the Jamaican records still stand unbeaten, America’s sprinters are rapidly closing the gap, with a new generation of athletes setting their sights on the throne.
The United States is now the undisputed ruler of the sprinting realm. Leading the charge is a fearsome squad of American sprinters consisting of Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, and more. Their ranks are so deep that each of them could qualify for the 100m final, making it a thrilling race to the finish line.
America’s dominance extends beyond the individual 100m race, with their relay teams decimating the competition.
The American sprinting roster is an unstoppable force, with the likes of Noah Lyles (9.83 seconds), Christian Coleman (9.76 seconds), and Fred Kerley (9.76 seconds) leading the charge. Together with other American stars such as Trayvon Bromell, the U.S. 100m lineup is nothing short of a sprinting powerhouse.
Not only do the Americans dominate the individual 100m events, but they also leave their rivals in the dust during the 4x100m relay.
The U.S. men’s 4x100m relay team has a current world record time of 36.84 seconds. This was achieved at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a team that included Christian Coleman, Mike Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, and Noah Lyles.
Meanwhile, the U.S. women’s 4x100m relay team, featuring the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson, has a current world record time of 41.4 seconds.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the U.S. women’s 4x100m relay team won gold with a time of 41.90 seconds.
The team was composed of Sha’Carri Richardson, Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, and Gabby Thomas.
Interestingly, while Richardson won her heat of the 100m dash in 10.84 seconds, she was later disqualified for testing positive for marijuana. Nevertheless, her team’s victory in the 4x100m relay remains a significant accomplishment, demonstrating the depth and talent of American sprinting.
The 200m dash has been yet another event where America has cemented its dominance. At the Tokyo Olympics, Sha’Carri Richardson won gold with a time of 21.74 seconds, leaving her competitors in the dust.
On the men’s side, the indomitable Noah Lyles took gold with a time of 19.72 seconds, once again demonstrating the unrelenting power of American sprinters.
The 100m dash is now a race where Jamaican dominance is a thing of the past. The new kingpins of sprinting include Christian Coleman, Ferdinand Omanyala, Akani Simbine, and Fred Kerley.
Not to forget the young, rising star of American sprinting, Erriyon Knighton. At only 20 years old, Knighton has already made waves in the 200m dash, snatching up bronze at the Tokyo Olympics with a time of 19.93 seconds, a remarkable achievement for someone of his age.
The young talent clearly is a talent to watch in the coming years, and his future prospects are promising. With Knighton in the mix, America’s sprinting dynasty shows no signs of slowing down.
Jamaica, once the pinnacle of sprinting greatness, now struggles to keep up with the blistering speed of these new challengers. Even their 4x100m relay team, which used to sweep the competitions, is now lagging behind.
The changing of the guard in sprinting is becoming increasingly evident, and Jamaican dominance appears to be a fading memory.
While the Americans are taking over track sprinting world they are yet to break Usani Bolt’s 100m world record of 9:58 and the 200m dash of 19:19 seconds.
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