Jamaica

Who will come out on top as the second and third-fastest women in history face off between 23 and 26 July.

"This season I am definitely looking forward to run 10.5 and possibly 10.4 because that’s the aim," she said in April. "And I think I am on my way to that. She is also a nine-time world champion and the reigning world gold medallist at 100m. Once again, she sits second on the all-time list and once again behind Flo-Jo. This year, Thompson-Herah has changed her tune about whether she can beat the 100m world record, telling World Athletics in April: "I think, last year I ran everything relaxing, not thinking about world titles or world records. In the 200m, the reigning Olympic champion is the only of the two to post a world top 10 time this year, with a 22.25 set in Rome in early June. Fraser-Pryce’s season’s best is 22.41 set on 28 May in Oregon. As reigning 100m world champion, Fraser-Pryce has gained automatic entry to the World Athletics Championships, however she may well opt to face Thompson-Herah over the distance at this week’s trials in Jamaica. For the 100m, the preliminary rounds take place on Thursday 23 June at 7:50 pm local time (2:50 am Friday 24 June CET), with the semi-finals on Friday 24 June at 6:00 pm (1 am Saturday 24 June) and the finals at 8:40 pm local time on the same day (4:40 am CET). The preliminary rounds of the 200m take place on Saturday 25 June at 7:40 pm local time in Jamaica (2:40 am Sunday 26 June CET), while the finals take place on Sunday 26 July at 7:05 pm local time (2:05 am Monday 27 June CET). On 18 June, she set a time of 10.67 at the Paris Diamond League, equalling her world lead time from 7 May. Both times were set in her only two competitive 100m races of the year. She holds three of the top 10 200m times in history, including a fastest of 21.53 set last year at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, while Fraser-Pryce’s best of 21.79 was also set last year at the Jamaican Olympic trials in June 2021. In the 200m, Thompson-Herah is ahead of her rival both in terms of times and consistency. Less than a week later, Fraser-Pryce set her own personal best of 10.60 at the Lausanne Diamond League, beating Thompson-Herah to the line with the third-fastest time in history.