After narrowly missing out on the 100m gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Kishane Thompson is now gearing up for his outdoor season opener for 2025. The Jamaican recently touched down in China, where he will be competing in the Shanghai Diamond League.
Thompson went into the 2024 Games as a heavy favorite for the 100m crown, having clocked a world lead of 9.77s in the distance earlier in the year. However, in Paris, the 24-year-old was outdone by reigning world champion Noah Lyles by five thousandths of a second.
Now, more than eight months after his heartbreak at the Games, Kishane Thompson is scheduled to return to the 100m on track. The Olympic silver-medalist will be competing in the Shanghai Diamond League that will take place on Saturday, May 3, for his outdoor season opener. As he gears up for the event, the Jamaican recently landed in China.
At the Shanghai DL, Thompson will be faced with some impressive racers. The field will feature eight other sprinters, namely Jeremiah Azu, Christian Coleman, Akani Simbine, Eseme Emmanuel, Ferdinand Omanyala, Letsile Tebogo, Rohan Wataon, and Xie Zhenye.
The fastest racer of the field is America’s Coleman with his personal best of 9.76s. However, the former World Champion hasn’t been close to that form in recent seasons. The next best racers are Thompson and Omanyala, both holding personal bests of 9.77s.
Adding to the competition will be 200m Olympic champion Tebogo and South Africa’s Simbine, who happens to be the only sprinter of this lot to have breached the 10-second mark this season. Fans excited to watch Kishane Thompson and co. in action at the Shanghai Diamond can tune into FloTrack for a live broadcast.
Kishane Thompson set to compete at World Athletics Relays
After his campaign at the Shanghai Diamond League, Kishane Thompson will be heading to Guangzhou for the 2025 World Athletics Relays. The Olympic medalist was named to the Jamaican men’s team alongside Yohan Blake, Ackeem Blake, and Julian Forte.
The Jamaican women’s team for the event will feature former 200m Olympic champion Shericka Jackson and ten-time World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The competition is scheduled to take place between May 10-11.
For Kishane Thompson, his 2025 season has looked promising so far. The 24-year-old has raced twice this year, both times in the 60m. In January, he competed at the Central Hurdles Relays, where he clocked a 6.48s for the win. He followed this up with a title finish at the Astana Indoor Meet.
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Edited by Riddhi Acharya
