Kehinde Okeowo
When Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, came up with the idea of hosting the first modern Olympics in Athens, Greece, in 1896, a lot of skeptics felt he was day dreaming. This is partly because hosting multiple sporting events in a matter of weeks, is a mind-boggling task which requires adequate planning, finance and timing. That successful experiment has since become a masterpiece, held every four years around the globe.
As Japan opens its doors to sporting contingents from continents all over the world, the thirty-second edition of Olympics in Tokyo, offers an opportunity to showcase the city’s beautiful architecture and dynamic culture to the rest of the globe. Despite the huge protest that greeted the hosting by the locals over the third wave of Covid -19 pandemic currently prevalent in the country. The eyes of sport lovers, are firmly focused on the excitement and entertainment, men and women representing various countries are about to bring to various stadia and homes.
While the game might have been an event with several sports on display, the highlight any Olympic Games is the track and field and this year will not be any different. The women’s 100 meters is expected to be a classic that will generate a lot of amusement, given how close the times returned by athletes in this category are this season.
Ten talented female sprinters representing five countries, United States of America, Jamaica, Great Britain, Cote d’voire and Nigeria have the fastest times in the event this season and are in pole position for this year’s 100 meters medals. These sensational track queens, have all returned sub 11 seconds this season, and the margin between the leading and the last athlete is about half of a second, meaning, the race will be keenly contested and might be the pick of the competition.
Shelly-Ann-Pryce, a 34 year old Jamaican, who ran 10.65 seconds in Kingston, Jamaica, has the world leading time this season, a feat that confirms her as the second fastest woman in the world. Her compatriots, Elaine Thompson-Herah 29, Shericka Jackson, 27 and Natasha Morrison, 28, have the second, fourth and sixth best times of 10.71seconds, 10.77seconds and 10.87 seconds respectively. A form that qualifies the Jamaican quartet as favorite to win gold in 4X 100 women relay.
The Jamaicans have their ash-rival, United States of America to contend with, Sha’Carrl Richardon, who is the fastest of the three Americans ran 10.72 seconds to win the American trial and earned the third fastest time this season. She will however, not be participating in this year’s Olympics, because she has been banned for a month for testing positive for cannabis during US trial in June
Since Sha’Carrl is out of contention, her 22 year old compatriot, Twanisha Terry, popularly called “Tee Tee” who has 10.89 seconds under her belt and a joint seventh in times returned this season, is expected to lead the American challenge. The third and the oldest of the three American, Alela Hobbs, 25, who ran 10.91seconds this season, also has the joint eighth fastest time this season.
The African challenge will be presented by, Maria–Josse Ta Lou, the 32 years old Ivorian, finished fourth in 2016 Olympics 100 meters by seven-thousandths of a seconds and has the fifth fastest time this season. She will be joined by Blessing Okagbare, a 32 years old Nigerian who is an Olympic and World championship medalist in the long jump, and has the joint seventh time of 10.89 seconds as her best this season.
The European challenge looks brittle and weak, they have a single sprinter in this bracket and their brightest chance of winning a medal in this category rests with British Sprinter, Dina Asher-Smith, who is 25years old and currently the fastest British woman in history. She ran a time of 10.91seconds and occupies the joint eight fastest time with American, Alela Hoobs.
As the summer games curtain raiser draws nearer, the weight of expectation on these women is enormous and can only be better imagined, as some of them carry the medal hope of their country on their shoulders. Based on current form, these ten gifted female athletes, are the ones to look out for in the women 100 meters dash and unless one of the dark horses pulls a monumental shock, they are definitely expected to dominate the podium in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
