“To be honest with myself, I don’t think I’m ever going to surprise myself. I know how capable I am…” Even after clocking a 9.75s world lead at the JAAA National Championships last week, Kishane Thompson wasn’t surprised. He knew exactly what he could pull off, and that this still wasn’t the end. In fact, after the race, he had even declared, “I am a very hungry person.” Looks like that is true after all, because it’s just been days since he clocked the fastest 100m time this year, but instead of relishing in that glow, he is already looking at what more can be achieved. Is this confidence or overambition?

In case you missed it, Kishane Thompson pulled off a monumental feat at the Jamaican nationals last week. American coach, Coach Rob, reflected over Thompson’s win, saying, “It’s not just the fastest thing since Bolt retired. He just technically ran a new national stadium record, because Bolt’s old record was 9.76, and he just went 9.75. So that’s a big deal for Jamaica, just to clarify.” That’s how lofty his win was. But despite being proud about this sparkling new feather in his cap, Thompson now seems to have set some new goals for 2025. That said, he’s not entirely confident just yet—and here’s why.

On July 4, a day ahead of his Prefontaine Classic showdown, Kishane Thompson gave a few pre-race interviews. By DyeStat, he got questioned, “How reassuring was that 9.75 that you ran last week?” That’s when Thompson laid it on the table, no holds barred. He said, “Honestly, it’s not….. I won’t…For me, it’s never going to be reassuring until I get the right job done. You know, it’s a building block. Step by step.” Clearly, that 9.75 world lead was just a warm-up. Thompson feels he is yet to move up on that growth curve and get better…

Kishane Thompson further explained how there is still more room for improvement in his timings and that he isn’t entirely reassured with the 9.75 feat. He said, “I look into myself and I know that, ‘hey, we are making progress,’ you know, it’s onward from here. But in terms of being reassuring for the final moment, NO.”  Well, Thompson’s 9.75s time has now made him the #4 fastest Jamaican ever on the all-time list and the only athlete who went this last 13 years after Yohan Blake’s 9.69 time from 2012. Still, Thompson isn’t fully reassured.

The reporter next asked Thompson if he sees himself dipping to 9.70 at the Tokyo World Championships. But the Jamaican champion revealed his plans, stating that he is not going to be burdening himself with all that already. Kishane Thompson replied, “Naturally, as athletes, you know, we want to go faster, but I’m not really pressuring the time right now. I’m just trying to work on myself, being healthy, getting my execution right. When the time is right, the time will come…..” For now, Thompson might be thinking that he’ll cross the World Championships bridge when he comes to it, as the Worlds are still 2 months away. But this doesn’t mean he isn’t pushing himself at all….

After all, just a day before facing Christian Coleman at the Prefontaine Classic 2025, he warned, “Anything is possible.” Well, if one would certainly take his word for it, because Kishane Thompson seems to be in the form of his life. He literally just broke a 10-year-old record at the JAAA National Championships last week…

Kishane Thompson’s world lead is one for the record books

“I work because I want to win. I want to achieve certain goals…” Kishane Thompson said this after his 9.75s win at the Jamaica National Championships 2025. In that moment, he probably didn’t know he had already achieved a really big goal. And that was breaking a 10-year-old record. 

Yes, when Kishane Thompson crossed the finish line at the National Stadium on June 27, he broke a 10-year-old dry spell in the world of track and field. The last time an athlete clocked a time as low as 9.75 was by Justin Gatlin in 2015. Ever since, the closest someone got to equalling this was Trayvon Bromell’s 9.76 in 2021 and Fred Kerley‘s 9.76 in 2022.

As for Kishane himself, last year at the Jamaican Championships, he himself clocked 9.77s, coming within 0.02s of this benchmark. But it took him another year to finally obliterate it. Yet despite this majestic feat, Thompson isn’t fully assured of his time. He feels he can get better in the future. What do you think about this? Can he pull off something better at the Prefontaine Classic? Let us know in the comments below!