Fastest woman alive makes international return after more than two years in cold
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 01.05.26. | 21:46
"I'm just using this season as a stepping stone. A recovery, a fun one. I'll just go out there, have fun, run some races, get some medals"
Elaine Thompson-Herah, the fastest woman alive over 100m ((10.54), makes a return to global athletics scene in Gaborone, representing Jamaica at the World Athletics Relays set for this weekend.
The five-time Olympic champion has not competed internationally since the August, 2023, World Championships in Budapest where she represented her country in the 4x100m.
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Thompson-Herah, who missed out on the Paris Games due to an Achilles tendon tear, said she is using her first season back after a 20-month rehabilitation process as a stepping stone as she looks to return to her best.
The 33-year-old Jamaican, who became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic sprint doubles when she retained her 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo in 2021, returned to competition earlier this year.
She opened her season with a 7.24s in the 60m at the Camperdown Classics in Kingston on 14 February, followed by a 7.20s over the same distance a week later at the S.W. Henry Invitational.
In her third outing of 2026 at the Velocity Fest 18 in Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday, 21 March, she looked sharp, competing in the 200m, pulling clear off the bend before easing to victory in 22.61 seconds.
In Botswana, she returns to compete in the 4x100m event after a fine start to her 2026 season with a sub-11 time of 10.92s that she ran barely two weeks ago.
Currently ranked third in the world by time, she looks in the shape to make a bold statement announcing her return to the global athletics championship podium while securing Jamaica's qualification for the World Championships in Beijing next year.
She admits her recovery has not been easy but set the target of defending her titles at the Commonwealth Games in July, having taken gold in 100m and 200m in the previous two editions, as she continues building up to her third Olympic appearance.
"It's been a rough one, mentally, but I've overcome that. It's nice to be back on the track. I ran two 60s, a 100-metre, just to feel where I'm at. No pain. I don't think I'm where I want to be yet. I'm being patient with myself," she offered. "I'm just using this season as a stepping stone. A recovery, a fun one. I'll just go out there, have fun, run some races, get some medals."
Listed in her team is the fastest woman alive in the 200m, Shericka Jackson, a combination set to nearly guarantee Jamaica success.