(Sports news) Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the first female athlete to win five world 100m titles in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday as she led an unprecedented Jamaican clean sweep of the podium. Fraser-Pryce had a blistering start and led from the start and won in a championship record of 10.67 seconds. Shericka Jackson took silver with a personal best time of 10.73sec, with four-time Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah claiming bronze with a time of 10.81. It was the first time that a nation had swept the medals in the women’s 100m at the worlds and it came just a day after Fred Kerley led a US sweep in the men’s 100m.

Fraser-Pryce becomes the first athlete to ever win five gold medals in a track event at the World Championships with the previous 100m golds coming in 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019. She was lined up in lane six in what was perfect sprinting conditions. Nicknamed the ‘Pocket Rocket’, you could easily see why as the 35-year-old has won 5 gold medals as she shot out of her blocks and never ceded the lead. Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, started in lane eight and  emerged as the sprinter most likely to wreck Jamaican plans, but Jackson and Thompson-Herah were as. Asher-Smith eventually finished fourth, equalling her national record time of 10.83sec.

“I can’t even imagine the amount of times I’ve had setbacks and I’ve bounced back and I’m here again. I continue to remind myself that sometimes it’s not because you don’t have the ability but it’s the right time. Today was the right time and I'm so grateful for the continuous support." Fraser-Pryce added: “This is the third 1-2-3 that I’ve been a part of and I’m so excited. Today I was able to come away with the win.I feel blessed to have this talent and to continue to do it at 35, having a baby, still going, and hopefully inspiring women that they can make their own journey."

Fred Kerley on the other hand led home an American clean sweep in the world championships 100 metres final on Saturday, which was subsequently the first time since 1991 that it happened. The home fans went wild as the sport’s dominant nation got a night to remember as they hosted the event for the Athletic World Championship for the first time. Kerley timed his run perfectly to clock 9.86 seconds, Marvin Bracy took silver and Trayvon Bromell bronze, both with similar times of 9.88 seconds, but Bracy edging it by two thousandths of a second. A fourth American in the final and defending champion Christian Coleman, finished sixth.

Carl Lewis was the first American that led the clean sweep of medals in 1983 and 1991 gold medals but no nation has managed it since. As each name appeared on the giant screen, the home crowd increased the volume of their cheers, greeting confirmation of the 1-2-3 with a chant of “USA”. He is now one of the only three men, along with South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk and  American Michael Norman, to have broken 10 seconds in the 100m, 20 seconds barrier in the 200m and 44 seconds mark in the 400m. The 27-year-old is now the only man to have medalled at both 100m and 400m having finished third in 2019.

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