Kishane Thompson burst onto the track and field scene in a major way in 2024 with his performances at the JAAA/Puma National Senior and Junior Championships.
The MVP Track Club product produced times of 9.82 in the heats, 9.84 in the semi-finals and a then-personal best 9.77 in the final on his way to claiming his maiden national title in the 100m.
The 23-year-old followed that up by missing out on Olympic gold in Paris by a fraction of a second behind American Noah Lyles.
The former Garvey Maceo sprinter is now a two-time National champion thanks to his personal best and world leading 9.75 done in the final on day two of the 2025 JAAA/Puma National Senior and Junior Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Friday, June 27.
Thompson first cruised to 10.12 in his heat on Thursday. He followed that up on Friday with 9.80 in his semi-final before closing the show with his best performance of his career, so far.
While many fans in Jamaica and around the world, for some strange reason, continue to be surprised by Thompson’s rise to the top of the global sprinting world, this success comes as no surprise to him.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to surprise myself. I know how capable I am. For me, it’s just to understand my speed a bit more and trust it and get the execution down to the dotted I and the crossed T,” he told Sportsmax.tv after his race on Friday.
“I’m that confident. I don’t think, if I even broke the world record, it would surprise me, honestly. I’m going to just put that out there,” Thompson added.
With that in mind, Thompson said he never came into the championships with a specific time on his mind, noting that there are many factors involved in running fast.
“I don’t really watch the time. Athletes can do way better but there is a lot of detailed stuff to get the betterment out of an athlete, it’s not just raw speed; it’s how you control that speed, the execution,” he said.
“It’s a major part of it and I cannot stress it enough. Frankly, I didn’t even execute as I should’ve,” he added, a thought that should put some level of fear in his competitors.
Thompson, who has lost just once this season, will next be in action at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, his first Diamond League appearance of the season.
He will be lining up against the likes of countryman Ackeem Blake and Americans Trayvon Bromell and Christian Coleman.
“I’m really excited. I only competed there once and that was in 2023. I was hurt in 2024 so I didn’t get a chance to compete there but I’m excited,” he said.
“I’m excited for the competition. I won’t single out anyone. Once you line up against seven or eight other persons, it’s a good feeling. Competition has to be there. It brings the sport to life,” Thompson added.