Following the news of five-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s departure from the Elite Performance Track and Field Club, there was another significant development in the Jamaican sporting scene. Elaine Thompson-Herah, the double Olympic sprint champion from the Games in 2016 and 2020, is said to have broken off her connection with Reynaldo Walcott, the club’s coach. This announcement, which was made soon after Fraser-Pryce’s, brings to light important shifts in the top sprinting world of Jamaica.
The Tokyo Olympics star’s departure, coupled with strong hints that she is in advanced talks to rejoin the MVP Track Club, marks a significant change in her career. If verified, this would be a significant comeback to the squad where she had trained under the esteemed coach Stephen Francis. Thompson-Herah looks poised to rejoin the University of Technology-based organization that was instrumental in her growth into a world-class sprinter, even though she departed the MVP Track Club in 2021.
Rumors have it that the chemistry between Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah is tense, and their relationship has frequently been marked by distance. Even with their outstanding individual accomplishments, their trajectories have not always coincided, and now that both athletes have left finest Performance, it is unclear what the future holds for Jamaica’s finest sprinters.
