The Keqiao Diamond League stadium buzzed with anticipation on May 3, 2025, as the men’s 100m event kicked off the season with a bang. Under the bright lights, Kishane Thompson, the Jamaican sprinting prodigy, stepped onto the track for his first race of the year—and his first ever outside Jamaica. Clad in a vibrant Nike kit, the 23-year-old looked poised in Lane 7, his name flashing on the scoreboard as the crowd roared.

Thompson, a silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was ready to set the tone for a season of redemption. The gun fired, and in a blistering 9.99 seconds, he crossed the finish line—a time that marked the fastest season opener of his career. But as the results rolled in, a familiar sting emerged: Thompson didn’t win. How could a sub-10-second sprint still leave him short of victory?

The narrow loss in Keqiao wasn’t just a race result—it was a haunting echo of Thompson’s Olympic nightmare. At the 2024 Paris Games, he had been a mere 0.005 seconds from gold, clocking 9.789s to Noah Lyles’ 9.784s in the men’s 100m final at Stade de France on August 4, 2024. That race, the closest 100m Olympic final in history, saw all eight finalists dip under 10 seconds, with Thompson taking silver and Fred Kerley claiming bronze in 9.81s.

Kishane Thompson’s reflection on that day: “I didn’t trust myself enough.” Now, in Keqiao, despite a strong 9.99s with a +0.5 wind, he was edged out again by South African Akani Simbine, who finished the race in 9.98s with a razor-thin margin of just 0.01s. Could this recurring pattern of near-misses be weighing on the young sprinter? The narrow loss, with a +0.5 wind, sparked a firestorm of reactions across the track and field community, revealing a divide in how fans see his performance. 

Fans are undecided on the Thompsons’s efforts

Well, some fans were quick to celebrate Thompson’s effort, seeing the 9.99s as a strong opener, especially given his history. “Yes, I totally agree this is good for a season opener,” wrote one of the fans, pointing out the context of the season’s early stage. They added, “Oblique next later today, the fastest time between the 3 is Akeem 9.96, and it’s just may,” highlighting the fierce competition among Jamaican sprinters, with Akeem Blake setting the bar at 9.96s. But if he’s already running sub-10, what could he achieve fully healthy?

Others, however, couldn’t shake the eerie parallels to Thompson’s past, particularly his Olympic heartbreak. “A good season opener for Kishane in the 100m. I do feel that this finish is almost reminiscent of the Olympic 100m final, though,” commented one on X. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Thompson ran 9.789s, losing by a mere 0.005 seconds to Noah Lyles’ 9.784s in the closest 100m final ever.

The Keqiao race, though not as tight, still saw him fall short against a stacked field likely including stars like Letsile Tebogo, who ran 10.03s in a similar meet. “These Dips at the line keep haunting Kishane innit 😭😂,” another fan quipped, pointing to a recurring issue in Thompson’s racing style. Is his finishing technique holding him back from greatness?

The criticism didn’t stop there, as some fans zeroed in on a pattern that’s hard to ignore. “Kishane’s second race in a row losing by a lean. He’s gonna have to learn to finish races better,” an X user remarked, referencing not just Keqiao but also his Olympic loss, where Lyles’ lean at the line made the difference.

Thompson’s personal best of 9.77s, set on June 28, 2024, shows his raw speed, but his inability to secure wins in tight races has sparked debate. Yet, amidst the critiques, there’s still optimism. “Good job kishane for a season opener,” another fan posted, echoing a sentiment that his 9.99s—faster than his 10.04s Diamond League debut in Monaco on July 21, 2023, is a foundation to build on. Can Thompson use this feedback to sharpen his game?

As the track and field community dissects Thompson’s Keqiao performance, the divide reflects the high stakes of elite sprinting. Some see a star on the rise, others a talent haunted by the finest margins. With his next race looming in Shanghai, as hinted in related X posts, the Jamaican sprinter has a chance to silence his doubters. But the question remains: will he finally master the art of the finish and claim the victories his speed deserves?