Elaine Thompson-Herah Bursts Jamaican Myth Responsible For USA Losses in the Past

If there’s one country that remains a constant threat to the US’s Olympic hopes, it’s Jamaica. Home to a long list of formidable sprinters, Jamaican track and field athletes pose a monumental hurdle on the way to the top for runners like Sha’Carri Richardson and others. Among them, Elaine Thompson-Herah is quite justifiably the forerunner to defend her gold medals from Tokyo, and she’s not shy to break some American conspiracy theories along the way, either.

The “Double-Double” gold medalist Thompson-Herah is an iconic name on the tracks, and not only for her skills. Her style has become a signature aspect of her looks, but it’s not her hairdo that keeps the Americans at bay when they lock horns.

Elaine Thompson-Herah refuses to give her hairdo all the credit

In a recent episode of Real Talk With Tee on YouTube, Elaine came clean about how it’s perceived that her bob haircut is her secret to breakneck speeds when competing. When Tee, a social media influencer herself, bumped a Tweet by the Jamaican track and field X handle, which claimed that Elaine’s opponents always find themselves in trouble when the former sports a bob, Elaine couldn’t hold back laughter. “Is the bob like your signature ‘I’m about to run fast’ look?” enquired Tee and Elaine was quick to respond candidly. Jamaican twitter were all up in arms about this seemingly innocuous bit of speculation.

“Yeah, I’m a bob girl, I love the bob- period“, joked the three-time Diamond League winner. However, she went on to state that she didn’t necessarily base her looks on competition in mind. “Well it depends on the mood, sometimes it just be too long“, said Elaine while also mentioning that she had her hair in curls on the day of the Prefontaine Classic because of the rain predictions.

However, Thompson-Herah affirmed that the bob is something she always falls back on and there’s no underlying allusion to it knocking the US contingent in the races. “Bob for sure” joked the celebrity Jamaican runner once again during the last seconds of the interview. While the debate on her motivations to don a bob isn’t going away right now, bob or no bob, Elaine needs to pull up her socks and fast with the Olympics not even two months away.

Season debut is far from perfect, but hope isn’t dead yet

Elaine’s season debut of the year at the Prefontaine Classic didn’t end as well as her fans would have expected it to. Finishing the women’s 100m sprint in ninth place, and accepting a hefty defeat from Sha’Carri, Elaine’s performance caused a lot of ruckus among the track community. While many believe that she won’t be getting such a grand opportunity to assert her claim for a ticket to Paris, others would argue vehemently that Thompson-Herah can never be discounted when it comes to performing on the grand stage.

On the other hand, at last year’s Prefontaine Classic, Elaine came titillatingly close to breaking the existing record in the women’s 100m event set by the legendary Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. Next month’s Grenada Invitational would be another chance for Elaine to get back on track, but the event stands canceled thanks to pertinent social-economic reasons. Now, as fans debate whether the defending champ will get the chance to show her mettle once again, it waits to be seen if she can first punch her ticket to France for the big showdown.

Do you believe Elain Thompson-Herah still has enough steam left in her engines? Share your thoughts with us!