If there was any lingering doubt in minds globally, Elaine Thompson-Herah’s historic run in the women’s 200m final has proven, unequivocally, that Jamaicans are virtually untouchable and a force to be reckoned with in sprints.

Jamaica, with a population just under three million people, is the undisputed home of the fastest woman and man on Earth—a title that is both envied and respected the world over.

Thompson-Herah, with a blistering 21.53 seconds that claimed gold in the 200m women’s final on Tuesday (August 3), shattered the Jamaican national record held by the legendary Merlene Ottey and now sits as ‘sprint queen’ beside compatriot and ‘sprint king’ Usain Bolt.

Only Florence Griffith-Joyner has ever ‘run faster’ than Thomspon-Herah in the 200m as the Banana Ground, Manchester native has pulled off what others can only dream of—winning back-to-back gold medals in two consecutive Olympic finals.

Let that sink in for a second… Elaine Thompson-Herah is in the form of her life and a class of her own. The 29-year-old, with nothing left to prove, is unassailable and the world’s first female double-double Olympic champion and the first to complete the feat after Usain Bolt.

What are the odds of this Jamaican dominance?

Jamaica is the only country to have achieved a 100m sprint sweep in more than 100 years; and the island has managed to do so twice in over a decade, 2008 and 2021.

Broken down granularly by Dr Damien King, Jamaica’s hegemony in women’s sprints is pretty remarkable when you think about it.

“Words found. Well, numbers anyway: Jamaica contains 0.035 per cent of the world’s population. From 2008, it has won 83 per cent of the women’s 100m medals. That is, of 12 medals, we’ve allowed all the other countries in the world to take home only two (silvers),” King commented on Twitter.

Counting the Olympics alone, Jamaican men, in their modern golden era, have seized seven medals (three gold, three silver, and one bronze) in the 100m since 1976. In the 200m event, men from the Caribbean island have also copped another seven medals (four gold, one silver, and two bronze).

In the World Athletics championships, Jamaican men have won 10 medals (four gold, two silver, and four bronze) in the 100m finals; another six medals (four gold and two silver) were won in the 200m.

Jamaica’s women are, arguably, even more prolific in the Olympic sprints, having claimed 15 medals (four gold, six silver, and five bronze) in the 100m since the 1980s. Another 12 medals (four gold, four silver, and four bronze) have been claimed by the island’s athletes in the 200m.

It is a similarly impressive feat in World Championships competition—with 12 medals being won by Jamaica in the 100m alone (five gold, five silver, and two bronze); as well as 14 200m medals (four gold, five silver, and five bronze).

While it is true that the medals are held by a small group of Jamaicans, the island’s athletic prowess runs deep, as in addition to the fastest man and woman alive, Jamaica is also home to the second fastest man and woman alive, in form of Yohan Blake and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Put some respect on Jamaica’s name.

The country and its sporting programme deserves the title as the world’s sprint factory!