“Most Times I Feel Awful”: Despite Running Her Personal Best in Prefontaine Classic 2021, Elaine Thompson Reflects on Her Hurdles

Speaking of the track prodigies who surface on our feeds now and then, Elaine Thompson isn’t alien to that. One of the greatest track names of all time, Herah’s breakthrough happened in 2016, at the Rio Olympics. Since Florence Griffith Joyner, who walked with gold in the 100m and 200m in 1988, the 31-year-old Jamaican sprinter became the first to achieve that height with her 2x gold. A record 5x Olympic champion, Herah’s resume-building is in full swing even now.

The third fastest alive in the 200m now trains with Reynaldo Walcott, the one who coached another track great Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce. But despite wholehearted guidance, feeling ‘awful’ before the race has always played in her favor. Though it sounds unlikely, it’s true in her case. Let’s learn about the real reason.

Elaine Thompson feels ‘awful’ for a reason

CITIUS MAG caught Herah on track in the early hours of the day, while she was refining her skills. In the interview clip, the 31-year-old traces back to the 2021 Prefontaine Classic, where she set the Diamond League and Jamaican record in 100m, clocking in at 10.54s. When asked whether the track defibrillator shocks ‘herself’ or not, the 6x Olympic medalist replied in affirmation. “I do I shock myself because most time it’s not that you don’t believe in yourself or you don’t have confidence it’s just because of the setbacks you have the struggles and sometime your body are not responding to the mind because most times I feel awful”. 

For a normal person, the product of ‘awful feelings’ can’t be anything satisfactory. But on 21st August, when the track was pitched up in Eugene, the Olympian went about telling everyone that she “wasn’t feeling good”. But when she reflected on her post-race feeling, Elaine Thompson turned her weakness into magic. “I think I need to feel awful more”. Having said so, what’s her mindset going into Paris?

Herah’s positive mindset

When asked about the subject that she’s a pundit of, the 6x World medalist said, “For me the mindset you have to be strong it have to be positive you know you push out those negative thoughts”. She believes in focusing on herself every day. “The key word as how I walk every day just believe in myself “, said Herah. It is probably this positive mindset that has kept her going amid the chaos she faced toward the end of last year.

READ MORE: “Welcome Back Queen”: Elaine Thompson-Herah Backed by Millions After Perfect 10.84 Bounceback at Brussels Diamond League 2023

She had to part ways with her then-coach, Shanikie Osbourne. Wasn’t it risky to change a coach ahead of the big games? Thompson-Herah said on a previous occasion, “…change is not the enemy; it’s an opportunity. Embracing change, with the right mindset and support, can lead to extraordinary results.” With that, her record-breaking event, the Diamond League, is just around the corner. Considering that she coaches and gets coached simultaneously, the world awaits the best of the 31-year-old Olympian in 2024.

READ MORE: BREAKING NEWS: Noah Lyles Joined by World’s Fastest Women Alive Elaine Thompson-Herah for Her Season Debut