‘Only I Can Stop Me’: Kishane Thompson Wins First Diamond League 100m

Fresh off defending his Jamaican 100m title with a blistering 9.75s—making him the sixth-fastest man in history—Kishane Thompson returned to Hayward Field in Eugene and claimed his first-ever Wanda Diamond League 100m victory, clocking 9.85 seconds on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Olympic silver medalist from Paris 2024 surged out of the blocks and held off a strong field, including Zharnel Hughes (9.91) and Trayvon Bromell (9.94), to underline his status as the man to beat heading into the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo later this year2.

After the race, Thompson exuded confidence and clarity of purpose:

‘I’m the only one that can stop me. I don’t say that to brag, but to be honest, once I better my execution, amazing things are going to happen,’ he told the Wanda Diamond League website after the race.

He emphasized the importance of putting all race components together:

‘It’s not just one component, it’s putting all of them together, from the start to the finish. Because I can work on one component, but if I can’t put them together it doesn’t make sense.’

Reflecting on the competition and crowd, he added:

‘It was a fierce competition, they ran me to the line. I’m really appreciative of it—it will help me get better, step by step… It’s work, mental and physical. And you’ve got to trust yourself, trust the process, trust the team, trust the coach, and so forth.’

‘It’s an amazing crowd. I didn’t know so many people over here actually knew me.’

With Tokyo on the horizon, Thompson’s message is clear: the biggest threat to his gold medal ambitions is himself.