Elaine Thompson-Herah nominated for BBC World Sport Star 2021 award

Elaine Thompson-Herah nominated for BBC World Sport Star 2021 award

Elaine Thompson-Herah

Jamaican sprint icon Elaine Thompson-Herah has been nominated for the BBC World Sport Star 2021 award. The nomination includes ace tennis player Novac Djokovic, boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Formula 1’s Max Verstappen, American football star Tom Brady and Grand National winner Rachael Blackmore.

Thompson-Herah became the first female sprinter to complete the double-double as she defended her Rio Olympics title. Voting has opened for the World Sport Star of the Year category at the 2021 awards. Voting closes on Tuesday (14 December) and the winner will be revealed live on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show on Sunday, 19 December.

A year to remember for Elaine Thompson-Herah

Elaine Thompson

While Elaine Thompson-Herah had a tremendous year, no one expected her to shine through at the Tokyo Olympics, the event which served as a stepping stone for her rise. In the build-up to the event, Elaine was troubled by an Achilles tendon injury for several seasons.

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Yet she came back strong and not only bagged the gold medals in the 100 and 200m but also clinched the pole position in the 4x100m women’s relay event. It seemed like the Tokyo Games flipped a switch in her as she became unstoppable. Elaine Thompson-Herah then went on to create history at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meet as she clocked the second-fastest time in the history of the women’s 100m.

The Jamaican completed the race in just 10.54s as she inches closer to breaking Flo Jo’s 100m world record of 10.49s. Beating the world record will be her primary objective as she builds up for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Thompson was named the women’s World Athletics Athletes of the Year earlier this year.

Also read: Tokyo Olympics: Elaine Thompson to Allyson Felix, Who has the most medals in athletics?