KINGSTON, Jamaica – Five-time Olympic gold champion Elaine Thompson-Herah is focused on her preparations for next year’s international track & field season, including the defense of her titles at the Olympic Games in Paris.
This was the sentiment shared in a statement from her management company, Andi Sports on Wednesday, when they confirmed the embattled Jamaican sprint queen separated from her coach Shanikie Osbourne after a breakdown in negotiations over compensation.
“Collectively, we had no choice, but to seek the services of another coach,” the statement indicated, adding the package proposed by Osbourne was “by any measure of what is the norm for such services extremely excessive and without any flexibility to negotiate by the other party”.
Thompson-Herah won 100 metres, 200m, and 4x100m gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, after winning 100 and 200 gold at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but she struggled badly this year after a heated separation from the MVP Track Club, where she was under the guidance of iconic coach, Stephen Francis.
The 31-year-old failed to earn a place on the Jamaica team for this year’s World Athletics Championships in August in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, where she brought Osbourne onto her coaching staff.
Thompson-Herah, the second-fastest woman clocked over 100 with a personal best time of 10.54 seconds, improved her times significantly over the later stages of the international season, so the decision to part ways with Osbourne was surprising in track & field circles in Jamaica.
“Mrs Elaine Thompson-Herah benefitted from the services of coach Osbourne, especially towards the end of the 2023 athletic season, and for that Mrs. Thompson-Herah is grateful and would like to express her thanks for her impact in a very short space of time,” the statement indicated.
With eight months remaining before she has to defend her Olympic titles, the statement from Andi Sports outlined that the search is now on for a new coach for Thompson-Herah.
“With the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, fast approaching, Mrs Thompson-Herah is fully focused on her preparations for the season and the defence of her Olympic titles,” the statement indicated.
“In this regard, we have undertaken a process to procure the services of a coach who would be able to ensure the high standards of Mrs Thompson-Herah are exceeded and her goals for the 2024 outdoor athletic season are met.”
The statement continued: “Once our search is complete, and a final decision is made, we will once again use this medium to officially notify the fans, followers, supporters, and the general public.
“Rest assured that the best interest of Mrs Elaine Thompson-Herah supersedes all other concerns and all decisions will be made to fortify her legacy as one of the world’s premier female athletes.”
Only deceased American sprint queen Florence Griffith-Joyner, who clocked 10.49 seconds at the United States Olympic Trials in 1988, has run faster than Thompson-Herah in the 100.
