Puerto Rico’s Camacho-Quinn wins Olympic 100m hurdles gold
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Athletics – Women’s 100m Hurdles – Final – Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan – August 2, 2021. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico celebrates winning gold REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn swept to victory in the Olympic 100m hurdles on Monday, claiming a first ever track and field gold for Puerto Rico.
The 24-year-old — who had set an Olympic record 12.26sec in the semifinals — surged home to claim her first major title in 12.37sec.
World record-holder Keni Harrison of the United States took silver in 12.52sec while Jamaica’s Megan Tapper claimed bronze in 12.55sec.
Camacho-Quinn had got off to a smooth start, edging clear after 30 metres and never relinquishing the lead.
She clipped the penultimate barrier in an otherwise flawless display but it was not enough to stop her romping home for gold.
The defeat means Harrison’s long wait for a major outdoor championship title will go on.
The American failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics after suffering a shock loss in the trials, and then finished fourth at the world championships in London a year later.
In Doha in 2019, she settled for a silver medal at the world championships behind surprise winner Nia Ali.
Ali skipped the Olympics this year after having a third child with her partner, the Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse.
The field was further depleted by the absence of reigning Olympic champion Brianna McNeal.
McNeal was ruled out of the Olympics after being handed a five-year ban for “tampering within the results management process” after a missed drugs test in January 2020.
