(Birmingham) Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah confirmed she was the sprinter to beat at the Commonwealth Games with a strong performance in the 100-metre preliminary heats.
Posted at 10:15 a.m.
A recent bronze medalist at the World Championships in Oregon, the Jamaican qualified for the semifinals in 10.99 seconds, winning the second of seven heats.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist in the event finished behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in a Jamaican sweep of the women’s 100 meters at the Worlds.
Thompson-Herah is confident she can return to her best form in Birmingham.
“You have to believe in yourself because no one else can believe in you,” Thompson-Herah said.
“I wanted to do well this year. However long it takes, I’ll get back to the top. (My plans) are to have fun, smile and run”.
Fraser-Pryce is at Birmingham, but has opted out of the games. She is preparing for the rest of the season with her coach Reynaldo Walcott, who has other athletes competing in Birmingham.
The semi-finals and final of the women’s 100m will take place on Wednesday at the Alexander Stadium.
In weightlifting, Canada’s Maya Laylor lifted a Games record 228 kilograms to win gold at 76 kilograms.
“I feel incredibly good. I’m so happy to win a gold medal for Canada,” she said. All the applause encouraged me and the energy kept me going. I felt like I could lift anything my trainer put on the bar and I stayed focused.
“I was tired, but I’m proud of myself. »