American soon faced competition from Dina Asher-Smith, who had the support of the local crowd at the London Stadium, eager for a British triumph.
Asher-Smith made a fast start and led from the initial bend but began to fade in the final stretch. Julien Alfred from Saint Lucia took advantage of the situation to move into the lead just metres from the finish.
Thomas’ surprise performance brought some order to the race. Despite being lagging at the start after a slow curve, she managed to accelerate and overtake her rivals. Her comeback not only secured her first place but also saw her break the London Stadium record with a time of 21.82 seconds. The previous record of 22.10 seconds had been held since 2015 by Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah.
The final positions saw Alfred close behind in second place with a personal best of 21.86 seconds, while Asher-Smith held onto third place, finishing 21 hundredths of a second later. British sprinter Daryll Neita also competed but did not make it onto the podium.
Thomas’ commanding run positions her as a significant contender for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, which start in less than two weeks. Reflecting on her performance, Thomas expressed her satisfaction and confidence, “I feel really good. It’s made me feel confident going into the Paris Games after that one.
“Considering everything, coming off the plane and racing in this stadium with all these people was a really good experience for me. The crowd here is incredible, it’s got to be my favourite Diamond League; it’s just so much fun”.
For Alfred, who is also preparing for the 100m after her recent win at the Monaco Diamond League, the result was somewhat unexpected. “I don’t know what to think,” she said post-race.
