Speedball Thompson-Herah leads Ja charge in Lausanne

ALL EYES will be on Elaine Thompson-Herah again as the world's fastest woman is down to compete tomorrow at the ninth staging of the Wanda Diamond League in Lausanne, Switzerland, where 10 Jamaicans are scheduled to appear.

Undoubtedly, Thompson-Herah is the most popular athlete on the planet at the moment, following her Olympic Games sprint double exploits and astonishing 10.54 seconds 100 metres clocking to win in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday. That time is just five-hundredths of a second outside the world record.

She will again line up in the 100 metres event in Lausanne, where it could be another 1-2-3 finish for Jamaican athletes, with countrywomen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson also in the race. The trio had also swept all the medals in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with Thompson-Herah winning ahead of Fraser-Pryce and Jackson, respectively.

Home town girl Mujinga Kambundju, who scored a surprised 200 metres win in Eugene, and Marie Josee Talou of the Ivory Coast, will be hoping to spoil the Jamaican party.

Another Jamaican Olympic Games champion, Hansle Parchment, will compete in his first Diamond League meet in over two years.

A surprise winner of the men's 110 metres hurdles in Tokyo, where he defeated overwhelming favourite Grant Holloway of the United States to win the gold medal, Parchment will go up against countrymen Ronald Levy, the bronze medallist in Tokyo, and Rasheed Broadbell, who will be hoping for an upset.

Jamaica's female triple jump duo of Shanieka Ricketts and Kimberly Williams, finalists at the Olympic Games, will take on gold medallist and world record holder Yulimer Rojas of Venezuela in the event.

Two other Jamaicans, female 400 metres hurdlers Janieve Russell and Leah Nugent, will be hoping for better results in the event following fifth- and eighth-placed finishes in Eugene. Olympic Games silver medallist Dalilah Muhammad and countrywoman Shamier Little will be hoping for another 1-2 finish like they did in Eugene five days ago.

CONTINENTAL TOUR

Meanwhile, MVP Club teammates Natasha Morrison and Broadbell picked up wins yesterday at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Budapest, Hungary.

Morrison, who ran in the preliminary round of Jamaica's successful women's 4x100 metres relay team at the Tokyo Olympics, easily won the women's 100 metres in 11.00 seconds. Great Britain's Daryl Neita finished second in 11.07 seconds, with English Gardener of the United States third in 11.09 seconds.

Broadbell, who burst on to the scene this year in the senior 110 metres hurdles, captured the men's event in 13.58 seconds ahead of Cyprus' Mikan Yrajkovic, 13.66, and Antonio Alkkena of South Africa, 13.81.

Julian Forte ended third in the men's 100 metres in 10.20 seconds, while Nigel Ellis was fourth, clocking the same time. Elijah Hall of the United States won the event in 10.04 seconds. It was a sprint double for the American, who also captured the 200 metres in 20.17 seconds.

Schedule for J'cans (Local time):

1:40 p.m.: Men's 110m H - Rasheed Broadbell, Ronald Levy, Hansle Parchment

1:45 p.m.: Women's triple jump - Kimberly Williams, Shanieka Ricketts

2:07 p.m.: Women's 100m -Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson

2:18 p.m.: Women's 400m H- Leah Nugent, Janieve Russell