Fresh off a stunning, world-leading 9.75-second victory at the Jamaica National Championships last weekend, Kishane Thompson heads into this Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic with a calm mind, a focused approach, and no illusions about how much further he still wants to go.
Thompson’s performance in Kingston—executed with the kind of ease that left fans gasping—was not just a personal best. It was the fastest 100m time recorded by a male sprinter in nearly a decade, placing him sixth on the all-time list.
But if there’s any temptation to get carried away by the numbers, Thompson isn’t taking the bait.
Asked how it feels to run that fast, he offered a surprisingly grounded and introspective take.
“When I’m running some of my fastest races, it felt as if... it didn’t feel that fast,” he said. “It felt as if things around me were in slow motion. I don’t know if I’m moving faster than the things around me... yeah. But that’s the feeling.”
The Olympic silver medallist knows what it means to reach the pinnacle—and the price that can come with it. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Thompson came within 0.005 seconds of gold, finishing second to the USA’s Noah Lyles, with both men clocked at 9.79 in one of the most thrilling Olympic 100m finals in history.
What is not widely known is that Thompson ran the Olympic final with sore hamstrings which likely impacted his ability to run as fast as he was capable. That experience has reframed how he approaches 2025.
“I’m really happy and grateful for my fitness,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say speed—I’ve got a hunger for speed. I’ve got to be hungry for it. But in terms of being healthy and being fit, I’m really grateful. I’m really happy. I’m just glad to be competing at a higher level.”
This weekend in Eugene, he returns to the Diamond League circuit against a stacked field. Thompson will face a formidable lineup in Saturday’s 100m at the Prefontaine Classic, including former world champions Christian Coleman and Trayvon Bromell of the United States, both boasting personal bests of 9.76. Also in the field are Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain, who owns a lifetime best of 9.83, fellow Jamaican Ackeem Blake (9.88), American sprinter Brandon Hicklin (9.93), Bayanda Walaza of South Africa (9.94), Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu (9.97), and Lachlan Kennedy of Australia (9.98). Despite the strength of the field, Thompson’s 9.75 makes him the fastest man lining up in Eugene—and the one everyone will be watching.
Still, Thompson remains focused inward.
“Honestly, [the Olympics] really gave me a high use of motivation to know that—hey—I’m up there with anyone who lines up against me,” he said. “We all want it. And I know it proves that it’s going to take a lot more. So I’m really confident.”
Even the 9.75 from Kingston hasn’t fully satisfied him.
“For me, it’s never going to be reassuring until I get the right job done,” he said. “It’s a building block. Step by step, I look into myself and I know—hey, we are making progress. It’s onwards from here. But in terms of being reassuring for the final moment—no.”
With the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo looming in the distance, Thompson is resisting the urge to chase times and instead staying laser-focused on execution.
“Of course, we want to go faster, but I’m not really pressuring the time right now,” he explained. “I’m just trying to work on myself, being healthy, getting my execution right. When the time is right, the time will go.”
His biggest lesson from last year?
“Just trust myself from zero to 100 metres. Don’t fight myself. Trust myself.”
And in Eugene on Saturday, that trust will again be put to the test—this time with the world watching, and the bar higher than ever.