Multiple Olympic sprints champion talks about the women setting new standards, how she worked her way to the top and why she felt sluggish in running 10.54 for 100m

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce may have taken the world title and been the quickest woman on the planet this year, but her fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah remains the fastest woman alive. Shoulder and Achilles problems have meant the double 100m and 200m Olympic champion has not quite been able to match her remarkable form of 2021, in which she completed that remarkable double double in Tokyo and later clocked the second-fastest time in history of 10.54 a performance in which she says she felt sluggish.

However, the 30-year-olds year has still brought world 100m bronze and 4x100m silver, while she stormed to Commonwealth 100m and 200m gold plus 4x100m bronze in Birmingham.

The standard of womens sprinting is incredibly high right now. What is it like being at the forefront of the sport?

Im happy to be a part of this history. The world record is 10.49 [by Florence Griffith Joyner in 1988] and we never thought that could be broken. It hasnt been broken yet but we have to reach to that level. Im happy to be seeing the women stepping out of their comfort zone and making more rivalry, making it more competitive and exciting.

Normally the men would be the talking point and I know everybody is excited to see the 100m but now we have taken over the show. Im excited to be a part of that.

When you talk about the women overtaking the men, its been exciting to see all the top names regularly competing against each other. Do you think that not avoiding each other has been a part of that?

I think yes. The women arent shying away from competing with each other but you will not see a line-up of all the best men. [Racing against the best] helps me because it tells me where Im at what I can fix and what can be corrected.

Michael Johnson recently told AW that he thinks athletes like you and Shelly-Ann dont get the credit you deserve. Why do you think that is?

I observed that we women dont get the respect that we deserve but Im not sure why. Even though we have run that fast and I tried to aim for that world record it doesnt seem like it affects anybody. I dont know, but it seems as if we havent done our best, and we are doing our best.

For us, we have to just continue to stay focused, stay positive and keep working because you cant let the outside noise outside distract you from what youre working towards. Our plan and our goals is to continue to be the greatest, to leave a legacy behind, to be in the history books.

Whatever respect we dont earn or whatever recognition we dont get, we cannot let that affect us. We have to keep working on to do what we do best.

What goes through your mind during the 100m, from getting into the blocks right through to the finish line?

I dont really think about anything much. At the start, I will be super nervous, even though you guys wont see that, but theres nothing in my brain that Im thinking about. It is about getting that start, getting that first five steps in fast, and then take it from there. But my mind is pretty much empty. I dont think about anything.

Other sportspeople describe that, when things are going well they can get into a state of flow and they almost feel like they are outside of themselves looking in. Do you remember much about your races when you feel like that?

Honestly, no, I dont really remember much. I try to do what I do best to get my transitions and my drive phase and if I feel like I am where I want to be I think the excitement will start to kick in. At the Olympics I realised I was ahead of the pack and I started to celebrate too early [and ran 10.61]. I knew I could run an early 10.5.

Did you have a hunger to succeed from an early age?

My passion was always track and field and, starting out, I wasnt the best and I was very slow. But the love I have for the sport has taken me to where I am now because you have to love something to get the result.

If youre just there doing something and you dont have a love or any passion for it, you will not get the result because its boring to you. Its not boring for me because its something that I love and the hunger kicks in when Im getting better at it.

Im more dedicated and more determined. Ive made more sacrifices to get the work in that I want, to get the result I want. Each time you PB or you see the best or you get a medal, you want it more and more and more so youre going to be hungrier. My hunger now is to try to break that [world] record.

The Champs in Jamaica (the famous nationwide team competition among high school teams) is a huge part of the sport there. What were your experiences of the meeting?

I was a part of the Champs but I wasnt a big star. First I went to Christiana high school. I went there for three years but I didnt try track and field until the second year and then I moved on to Manchester High School. We learn so much at the high school but the girls were faster than me so I was like a reserve.

When did you first think I could be good at this?

It was always in me. Even though other girls were much faster than me, I still never stopped, I still kept trying. Even though I didnt win a medal at the Champs I still kept trying. Even though Ive never been to Carifta Games, I still kept trying. I had to try and try and try and try and until I got to the top.

Can you remember the race where it all first came together and you thought you could be a big contender?

I think when I ran my first 10.9, that was 2015. It came after I won my intercollegiate championship where I ran 11.10 and I think the transition came from that to be able to run 10.97. Then I was invited to run the 100m at international meets, where I ran 10.92 with the bigger girls. I think Allyson Felix, Blessing Okagabare and other girls were in that race and I wasnt even nervous.

What continues to motivate you?

I think what motivates me is the obstacles that I have overcome. You know, for the past five years, Ive been struggling with injuries. Ive never had a perfect season where I havent had any niggles but I use those as a motivation. I try to work myself always strive to get better and I think I use myself as a motivation. I know how great I am, I know what I am capable of doing, so once Im healthy, I know everything will be fine. But I just try to work hard each time. You know, whatever changes I have, I try to work through slowly. But over the years, I have a lot of failures, I have lost championships, Ive lost titles, those are my motivation to keep me going.

Its interesting you said you felt slow when you ran 10.54 at Hayward Field last year?

I feel like I didnt start properly and that I didnt have the execution that I wanted. I felt sluggish. But what Ive learned is that when you feel too comfortable, youre doing the wrong thing. If you feel uncomfortable, its because youre doing the correct thing so I guess that day was just the best day because I was not feeling fast.

Which of your races would you say comes closest to being the perfect race?

None of them. I havent seen it. When I watch my [race] videos, I do them in slow motion and I see so much incorrect stuff Im doing. Its funny how the body works and in slow motion you see the tiniest detail.

Can that 10.49 be broken?

Anything is possible. For me, its all about believing, keeping putting in the work that has to go in to get that result. I think it can be broken once you have that good weather and that competition.

British and world all-time half-marathon ranking lists are set for revision in the Spanish city on Sunday

Fresh from his best-ever cross-country run when placing fourth at the Cardiff Cross Challenge last weekend, Emile Cairess heads to Spain this weekend with a number of Brits all looking to revise their PBs for 13.1 miles.

The Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich on Sunday (Oct 23) features a flat, fast course. It is so quick, in fact, that both the mens and womens world records have been set there in the last couple of years.

In 2020 Kibiwott Kandie ran a world best of 57:32 whereas last year Letesenbet Gidey clocked the still-standing womens mark of 62:52.

Cairess, who equalled Mo Farahs British 10km record earlier this year, will be hoping to revise his half-marathon best of 61:16 from Ghent in March. Now coached by Renato Canova, he is looking to make a marathon debut next year. Although for starters after this weekends half-marathon he will be targeting the European Cross Country Championships in Turin in December.

Cardiff was the last hard session before Valencia so I hope to run a fast time there, he says. Its maybe the fastest half-marathon (course) so Id like to knock something out there. I have an idea what time I want to run but I dont want to put too much pressure on myself. I just want a good hard run.

The British record is held by Mo Farah with 59:32 from Lisbon with Callum Hawkins the second-fastest Brit of all-time with 60:00 set in Japan in 2017. Hawkins also runs in Valencia this weekend although he is returning from injury and not in the same form he was five years ago.

Further Brits in action include Mahamed Mahamed, Jack Rowe, Paulos Surafel and Adam Clarke. Samantha Harrison will also hope to build on her superb summer and her PB of 68:12 from Berlin earlier this year which places her seventh on the UK all-time rankings.

The Brits face formidable opposition in Valencia, though. Kandie returns to the scene of his world record-breaking run and leads the mens field from Sebastian Sawe, a 58:02 man from Kenya, while fellow countrymen Daniel Mateiko, Kennedy Kimutai and Rodgers Kwemoi have also run inside 58:30. Kandies world record from Valencia 2020 has also since been improved marginally to 57:31 by Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda.

Yomif Kejelcha, meanwhile, will be attacking Jemal Yimers Ethiopian record of 58:33. Watch out as well for Tadese Worku, who won the world under-20 3000m title last year and holds the Ethiopian 10km record with 26:56.

I have been very focused on this race for the last two months, it is possible that I will get closer to the record times, Kandie said at the pre-event press conference on Friday.

There is a cloud under Kenyan distance running at the moment following a spate of doping positives, but Valencia looks set to be dominated by athletes from the east African nation.

Vicoty Chepngeno is the quickest in the womens line-up courtesy of her 65:03 from Houston earlier this year, whereas another Kenyan, Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, has a PB of 65:26 and a world 10,000m bronze medal to her name from Eugene this year.

READ MORE: Kenyan pandemic of drug positives

Added to this are Ethiopias Hawi Feysa (PB 65:41), European 10,000m champion Yasemin Can of Turkey and European 5000m gold medallist Konstanze Klosterhalfen of Germany, which means Sifan Hassans European record of 65: 15 could be under threat.

Im coming to Valencia to see how far I can run, to see how fast I can run, said Klosterhalfen, who is making her half-marathon debut.

The event starts 8.25am local time and is streamed at the official event website

We speak to the 400m hurdler who surged to a memorable Commonwealth bronze in Birmingham

Alastair Chalmers made history and headlines in Birmingham when he launched himself over the line in the 400m hurdles to win bronze and become Guernseys first ever Commonwealth track and field medallist.

How did he celebrate? With a Dominos meat feast pizza with extra meatballs. A trip to Las Vegas is also in the works and he is all too happy to admit hes still hasnt fully processed the achievement. How did it feel it feel to make history?

When you put it like that, its special, says the 22-year-old. I just wanted a medal and didnt care what colour. It wasnt my best preparation going into it after having COVID after the World Championships so the heats were quite hard when they probably usually wouldnt be.

That feeling when I got into the final was amazing. I felt way better and had time to recover so I could take it by the horns. That Saturday night in Birmingham was such a special, lovely night for everyone.

He adds: I laugh seeing pictures of me on the podium alongside a Jamaican kit and a Virgin Islands kit because theyre massive countries and then the odd Guernsey kit there was hilarious. I was born and raised there and wouldnt want to represent anyone else. Its a dream to win a major medal for Guernsey. I really felt that pride getting that medal in the vest Ive worn my whole life.

For Chalmers, the Birmingham experience was like nothing he had ever been part of particularly when he was coming down the home straight and making his late surge.

Its the first time in my career Ive heard that crazy sound of people screaming because Im so zoned in I dont hear, he recalls of his run of 49.97 behind Kyron McMaster (48.93) and Jaheel Hyde (49.78).

That made me think I must be coming back in the race. Im smiling now just remembering it makes me so happy. I looked across about 10 metres from the line and saw the Kenyan guy [Wiseman Were Mukhobe] fade behind me. I knew then Id got a medal. I treated it like gold because it was so special.

As were the celebrations, as Chalmers ran straight into the arms of his friends and family.

A lot of the time, athletes dont show the emotion of years of graft, he says. I always want to put on a show and demonstrate what it means. It was amazing hearing people outside the stadium saying it was one of their favourite races of the Games because of the emotion. I wouldnt want to look back when Im old like: Oh, damn, I wish I relished that moment more. I look back now and I miss it. But I know I lived that moment to the full.

The response since that night at Alexander Stadium has also bordered on the overwhelming. Chalmers returned to Guernsey, medal in hand, to a heros welcome.

The support has been so special and I probably wont have that same support again in my life, he says. I feel privileged to be in this position. A kid from Guernsey winning a Commonwealth medal is huge.

When youre young, you need role models and inspiration. Hopefully this will pull people into the sport or inspire them. I havent had any special upbringing Ive just worked hard and given everything. Hard work pays off.

Next on the agenda, however, is some well deserved rest and that aforementioned trip to Las Vegas. Will he be putting his medal on red?

It is definitely not coming, adds Chalmers. Im getting it framed and leaving it safely at home.

An unusually large number of runners from the east African nation have been suspended recently

It is 34 years since Cosmas Ndeti became the first-ever Kenyan runner to be suspended for doping. Ndeti tested positive for ephedrine at the 1988 World Cross Country Championships. He argued that he didnt realised the banned stimulant was in a cold remedy, but he was barred from the sport for three months before returning to win three Boston Marathon titles in the mid-1990s.

Since then Kenya has earned a reputation as a nation that produces more than its fair share of athletes who fail drugs tests. John Ngugi, for example, won Olympic 5000m gold in Seoul a few months after Ndetis positive test in addition to five world cross-country titles, but his career ended with a four-year ban in 1993 after refusing an out-of-competition test.

More recently Asbel Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic and three-time world 1500m champion, was given a four-year ban in 2019 after testing positive for EPO. Wilson Kipsang set a world marathon record of 2:03:23 in 2013 and won the London Marathon twice but was banned in 2020 for whereabouts failures.

Rita Jeptoo, a multiple Chicago and Boston marathon winner, plus Jemima Sumgong, who won the London Marathon and Olympic title in 2016, were also banned for taking EPO.

In recent days and weeks the number of Kenyan athletes suspended for breaking anti-doping rules has accelerated, though. Recent cases include:

Diana Kipyokei 2021 Boston Marathon winner (triamcinolone acetonide).

Betty Wilson Lempus 65:47 half-marathon runner (tampering).

Marius Kipserem three-time Rotterdam Marathon winner with a best of 2:04:10 (EPO).

Philemon Kacheran 2:05:19 marathon man (testosterone).

Justus Kimutai INEOS 1:59 Challenge pacemaker with best of 2:09 (whereabouts failures).

Mark Kangogo winner of the Sierre-Zinal mountain race in Switzerland in August (triamcinolone acetonide and norandrosterone)

Lawrence Cherono 2019 Chicago and Boston marathon champion was suspended one day before racing in the World Champs marathon in Eugene (trimetazidine).

Keneth Kiprop Renju clocked 58:35 at RAK Half-Marathon this year in addition to winning the Kenyan 10,000m title (Methasterone).

Ibrahim Mukunga Wachira famously won a half-marathon in Estonia in 2017 wearing only socks (Norandrosterone).

Stella Barsosio 2021 Rotterdam Marathon winner was, along with Purity Changwony, set home by the Kenyan team from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this year for doping-related issues.

Kumari Taki 2016 world under-20 1500m champion was also sent home from Birmingham for anti-doping reasons.

Despite threats to put drug cheats in jail under criminal law in Kenya, the number of athletes caught for cheating appears to get getting worse. It is not hard to see why either. Winning international road races is a lucrative business and one victory can earn an athlete more money than they would make during many years at home labouring on a farm.

In particular, there is the rise of the drug triamcinolone acetonide a steroid which helps reduce weight and increases endurance with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) identifying 10 Kenyans who have tested positive for it since last year.

One of the more high-profile athletes to be caught lately is Kipyokei, who won last years Boston Marathon in 2:24:45. Unusually, she has admitted cheating and the Boston title is likely to go to the runner-up that day, Edna Kiplagat.

Similar to Kiyokei is the male marathoner Kacheran, who has also admitted fault and subsequently had a four-year ban reduced to three years. Kacheran, incidentally, is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, paced for Kipchoge at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge where the two-hour barrier was broken and they share the same coach, Patrick Sang.

Along with Alex Korio, who was given a two-year ban in 2020 for whereabouts failures, plus Kimutai and Kipserem (listed above), this means four pacemakers from Kipchoges INEOS 1:59 Challenge in 2019 have been suspended, although the pacing entourage that day was simply drawn from many of the worlds top Nike athletes that year and included runners from a number of different countries.

Not surprisingly there are calls for Kenya to join Russia in being banned from international athletics. World Athletics are unlikely to go that far but perhaps individual event organisers can make their own stand by prioritising their home-grown talent instead of inviting and paying Kenyans to compete.