Thompson hails ‘amazing year’
RJR SPORTS Foundation Sportswoman of the Year for 2016, Elaine Thompson, has described the recognition at her accomplishments over last season as ‘overwhelming’.
Thompson, who took top honours over swimmer Alia Atkinson, received the award for the first time in her career and said that it was a great honour, given her displays last year.
“Last year’s season was amazing,” Thompson said at the RJR Sports Foundation’s National Sportsman and Sportswoman Awards at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Friday night.
FIRST WOMAN
“To capture the 100 metres and the 200m (gold medals) in my first Olympics in Rio, Brazil, and to be the first woman in the last 28 years (to capture both), ... is overwhelming,” she said.
Thompson was nominated along with Atkinson, cricketer Stafanie Taylor and MVP Track Club teammates Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, and in describing them as “tremendous ladies”, she said that anyone of them could have won the award given what each achieved in the year.
“To be up against a lot of super talented ladies and to come out on top, it’s an honour and a privilege. I will just continue to work hard and to look forward to more achievements.”
One of the achievements which was surely considered by the RJR Sport Foundation was her equalling the national 100m record of 10.70 seconds at the JAAA’s National Senior Championships. When asked by The Sunday Gleaner if she thinks she can lower it in 2017, Thompson said: “We’ll see what happens.”
Her coach, Stephen Francis, who was the recipient of the Sagicor Iconic Award on the night, also received praise from Thompson for the technical and other support given to her in training.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to my coach, Stephen Francis, for motivating and believing in me to invest invaluable time in my track career,” she said.