Jamaica’s double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson ran away from the field to capture the women’s 60m dash at Saturday’s (18) Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix in a world-leading 6.98secs.
In storming to victory, Thompson pulled her compatriots Gayon Evans (7.17) and Christania Williams (7.18) into second and third places, respectively. USA’s Barbara Pierre, the 2016 World Indoor Champion, was fourth in 7.20, and Asha Phillip of Great Britain took the fifth spot in 7.24.
Having entered the meet with a personal best of 7.04secs, Thompson raced to a new stadium record, and her time became the joint second fastest by a Jamaican woman over the distance and the seventh fastest time in history.
Merlene Ottey has the Jamaican record of 6.96secs, which she set 25 years ago on February 14, 1992, while Thompson’s training partner and joint national 100m record Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran 6.98 in 2014.
Thompson’s performance was also the first time since 2014 that a woman ran under seven seconds.
Russia’s Irina Privalova set the world record of 6.92secs in 1995.