With the retirement of Usain Bolt in 2017, a huge gap was left in the sprinting scene. That gap has not been filled by any man, but I believe that a patchwork of elite female sprinters have been able to inject life into the sport during Bolt’s absence.

Andre de Grasse’s victory in the men’s 200 metres in Tokyo was certainly entertaining, and completed a fantastic road to recovery following a hamstring injury that has plagued his recent career. The shock victory of Lamont Marcell Jacobs from Italy in the 100 metres was also a very interesting result, so I am not suggesting that there is no excitement to gain from following the men’s side of the sport. 

That being said, I think that the women’s 100 and 200-metre finals in Tokyo showed why female sprinting is more exciting and promises to remain so in the near future. On the surface, having a double champion in the form of Elaine Thompson-Herah suggests that it was a more boring competition, but that is not the case.

Coming into the games, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson, Sharika Jackson, and Blessing Okagbare were all among the numerous women that could have feasibly taken Thompson’s place on top of the podium. Athletics Weekly even predicted Fraser-Pryce and Thompson to be separated by one-hundredth of a second. The spread of class across the field, even in the heats, was shown by the fact that team GB’s Dina Asher-Smith was not able to make the final. 

Even beyond the stellar field in the Olympics, one of the most notable absences of the whole games came in the form of Sha’carri Richardson. Richardson is undoubtedly one of the most exciting prospects in track and field, clocking a 10.86 second 100-metre performance to qualify for Tokyo. Sadly, Richardson was disqualified from the games, perhaps leaving a small amount of doubt over Thompson-Herah’s dominance. 

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is also a key reason why the female sprinting scene is shining so brightly. At thirty-four years of age, Fraser-Pryce is still at the top of her game – a fantastic feat seeing as she won two gold medals in Beijing thirteen years ago. Challenging Thompson-Herah all the way, Fraser-Pryce even defeated the new Olympic champion in the Jamaican trials over both distances earlier this year. To make her performances even more impressive, Fraser-Pryce also became a mother in 2017 – a comeback that no man could ever achieve. 

An argument for the men’s sphere being more exciting, certainly in the future, is the emergence of a future superstar in Erriyon Knighton. The seventeen-year-old American has broken six youth records this year (the majority held by Bolt) and his potential for greatness seems boundless. However, Christine Mboma from Namibia emerged from Tokyo as a similarly raw talent, who could potentially become the greatest female sprinter we have ever witnessed. The eighteen-year-old won silver in the 200 metres, two places better than Knighton, running a personal best in the process. This performance also set a new youth record for the event, which had previously been held by Sha’carri Richardson – a testament to a rivalry that could potentially blossom into a Blake versus Bolt-esque golden period for women’s sprinting. 

With all of these individuals in mind, I believe that women’s sprinting has the comeback stories, emerging talents, and exciting rivalries that set the sport up for a very bright future. As mentioned previously, this is not to underestimate the talents of Knighton, Noah Lyles or any other male sprinter, but more to highlight how women are coming into the foreground to dominate the world of sprinting. The fact that there are so many athletes aside from Thompson-Herah, the Olympic champion, who are securing themselves as greats in the sport only cements the depth of talent in the current international female sprinting cohort. 

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