One of the greatest women’s 100m clashes, at least on paper, will take place in Eugene, Oregon, with the staging of the Prefontaine Classic, a leg of the Wanda Diamond League, at the Hayward Field today.

The Jamaican trio of Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson, who finished one-two-three in the event at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, last month will be challenged once again by several of those athletes who were in that final. The United States’ Sha’Carri Richardson, who was absent in Tokyo through a doping ban, will also feature and hope to prove a point.

Thompson-Herah won gold in Tokyo in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay to become the first woman and second athlete after Usain Bolt to win both the 100m and 200m at consecutive Olympic Games. Thompson-Herah, who also broke Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old record in the 100m, clocking 10.61 seconds to become the second-fastest woman ever, will lead the charge. She said during the official press conference ahead of the meet yesterday, which also featured Fraser-Pryce, Jackson, and Richardson, that she has not yet had time to celebrate her Tokyo outing as she is still in training ahead of the continuation of her season.

“There’s no celebration,” she told reporters. “I’ve not been home yet, the preparation is still going on. This is my first Diamond League 100m for the season, so I’m really looking forward to my first race after the Olympics.

“My aim is to continue to keep aiming, keep dreaming, keeping doing what I do and continue to inspire the younger generation.”

Fraser-Pryce also had a taste of history in Tokyo, becoming the first athlete of any gender to win four career Olympic medals over 100m. She says the depth in the women’s 100m event has helped to force her to give of her best each time she takes the track.

“I’m glad that you have that competition because when you’re in practice, you always have to make sure that you’re giving that 100 per cent at all times because you can’t have room for any errors or any slacking off because there are so many other ladies who are behind you coming. So it definitely forces you to be on your A-game and I think that’s good for me as an athlete because I always want to make sure that each time I step at the line, I’ve given a hundred per cent and I always wanna run my best race.”

When asked about the new look of Hayward Field, which was recently renovated, Fraser-Pryce joked that she was not dazzled.

“It’s good, the colours are pretty, but maybe because I’ve been here before, I didn’t get that ‘wow effect’ right away, because I’ve been here before and I’ve seen it on the TV, so it’s okay,” she said.

Richardson was her usual brash self, at the press conference, declaring that while she has respect for Thompson-Herah’s and Fraser-Pryce’s accomplishments, her focus is just on herself.

“Lining up against these women, it’s gonna be an amazing race tomorrow,” she said. “Two of the women sitting here are two of the fastest women to ever do this sport. So I’m honoured to be on the same stage with them, but I’m not star-struck.

“When it’s time to get on the line, we all do the same things. It’s about what you’re gonna do when you’re in your lane. If you’re worried about the next lane, how can you fully invest into what you need to do to put your thought into getting down the track in yours? I’m eager to run against them and bring the best out in them, and I hope they can bring the best out in me.”

With America’s Teahna Daniels, Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, the Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou, and the addition of Jamaica’s teenager Briana Williams, who ran the opening leg on Jamaica’s successful women’s 4x100m relay team, the stage is set for something very special and if conditions are right, we could see a sub-10.60 seconds clocking by the winner tomorrow when the starting gun goes off at 3:41 p.m. Jamaica time.

Another cracker is also expected in the men’s 100m as world leader Trayvon Bromell, with a season’s best (SB) of 9.77s, and who surprisingly did not make the final of the event in Tokyo, will be out for redemption in a heavyweight clash. His countrymen Fred Kerley, the silver medallist in Tokyo; Ronnie Baker, who was a finalist, and the veteran Justin Gatlin, and Tokyo Olympics 400m fourth-place finisher Michael Norman will be gunning for success here. However, Canadian Andre De Grasse, the bronze medallist in Tokyo, and finalist Akani Simbine of South Africa, will be hoping to once again spoil the Americans’ joy.

Jamaicans Janieve Russell and Ronda Whyte will also be involved in the women’s 400m hurdles tomorrow.

Russell, who was fourth in Tokyo in a personal best 53.08s, and Whyte who was disqualified in Tokyo for false-starting, will take on silver medallist Dalilah Muhammad, and her fellow American Shamier Little.

sports@gleanerjm.com