Jamaica, a small nation in the Caribbean island, continues its habit of gifting the world brilliant prodigies in the sport of track and field. Despite having a population of barely 2.74 million, they have produced athletes who have maintained a tussle of dominance in the athletic field against the heavyweights USA. Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are just some of the popular athletes belonging to the country. Now, another sprinter seems to have risen from the same place, looking destined for greatness.

In the 100m final of the JAAA National Championships, Kishane Thompson gave a tremendous performance recording a time of 9.77 seconds. Not only did he win the race, he also became the fourth fastest Jamaican man ever in the process. The three men ahead of him are Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Asafa Powell. At the age of 23, this is a huge achievement as he hopes to become the fastest by the end of his career.

Now, he’s being touted as the main threat towards Noah Lyles’s goal to capture the gold in the 100m race at the Paris Olympics. This adds another chapter to the USA-Jamaican rivalry in track and field. If he manages to win the gold, it will be the 27th by a Jamaican athlete. Many are putting their money on him to do it. It is not a misinformed decision at all, as he has shown the potential to script brilliant performances. This potential was first seen back when he was in high school. Let’s take a better look at his career back then-

Learn about Jamaican Kishane Thompson’s high school

Kishane Thompson was born in Mitchell Town, a small community in Jamaica. There, people used to call him “Bigga” affectionately. They had understood his talent at a very young age. During his primary schooling, Thompson used to always come first in the races. He was considerably faster than everyone in the school. His mother, Grace Allen, used to participate in high jump competitions herself, which is why she claims that he got her talent genetically.

Thompson enrolled in Bustmante High School to complete his schooling. However, his exploits in the track became so renowned there that he had to be convinced by the principal of Garvey Maceo high school to transfer. They had one of the best coaching facilities in the country. During his years there, he was coached by the legendary Jamaican athlete Neville Myton. Under him, Thompson would improve on his skills and learn a lot. This helped him stand out in the 100m, 200m, 4x400m and 4x400m races.

The Jamaican sprinter was a sports star even in his school days

In 2019, Kishane Thompson would win the 100m race at the Central champs with a time of 10.59 seconds. He entered the ISSA Boys and Girls championship but was battling an injury during that time, meaning he couldn’t perform well in either 100m or 200m. During the Penn Relays, he would anchor his high school team with a time of 43.16 seconds.

Neville Myton had huge hopes for him, comparing him to Bob Hayes, the American legend who won the gold medal at the 1964 Olympics. He declared that Thompson will become one of the greatest ever in this country. It is safe to say that today; he is well on his way to achieve that. When his mother was asked about the prospect of bringing the Olympic gold home, she said, “If he came back home with an Olympic gold medal? Oh my God! I would be so proud of him. I would be so elated.”

It will be interesting to see the tussle between Thompson and Lyles in the Paris Olympics. If the Jamaican is successful, he would become part of the elite group of athletes from his nation that have done the same.