Long before Florence Griffith-Joyner injected a dash of glamour to women’s sprints, the 100-metre race was already a popular athletic event. Wilma Rudolph, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Marita Koch, Merlene Ottey, Gwen Torrence, and many others have cemented their places in Olympic sprint history. The race, which lasts less than 11 seconds, continues to captivate.
Here’s a look at the women who have dazzled on the Olympic track over the past 40 years.
1984 Los Angeles — Evelyn Ashford (USA)
Evelyn Ashford’s victory in the 100m race at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 marked the pinnacle of her collection of four Olympic gold medals. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1957, Ashford’s sprinting talent was spotted early and nurtured by coach Pat Conolly. She became a prominent sprinter in the 1970s and 1980s, competing against East Germans Marlies Gohr and Marita Koch. A 100m world record in 1983 was followed by Olympic golds in both the 100m and the 4x100m relay. Ashford was a key member of the relay teams that won in Barcelona and Seoul.
1988 Seoul — Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)
Florence Griffith-Joyner brought a burst of colour to the traditionally staid world of athletics. With her painted nails and fluorescent leotards, FloJo (as she was affectionately known) added glamour to the track. Born in 1959, Joyner won a silver at the 1984 Olympics, Joyner before retiring from athletics three years later. After marrying Al Joyner, brother of long jumper Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and changing her training regimen, Joyner returned to the sport with renewed vigour. She set two world records (100m in 10.49 seconds and 200m in 21.34) and won three gold medals at the Seoul Olympics (100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay). Despite rumours of steroid abuse, Joyner passed all drug tests.
1992 Barcelona & 1996 Atlanta — Gail Devers (USA)
Yolanda Gail Devers, one of the greatest women sprinters, dominated the 1990s with 100m gold medals in 1992 and 1996. Born in 1966 in Seattle, Washington, Devers faced a debilitating illness before the 1988 Olympics, diagnosed as Graves’ disease, a thyroid disorder. After enduring painful side effects and nearly losing her feet, Devers resumed training for sprints and hurdles in 1992 and won three Olympic gold medals, including a third in the 4x100m relay at the Atlanta Games.
2000 Sydney — Gold medal not awarded
Marion Jones of the United States won the 100m race at the Sydney Olympics. Five years later, Jones was stripped of her medals after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs. The International Olympic Committee withheld the gold medal, marking the first time in modern Olympic history that an event did not have a gold medallist.
2004 Athens — Yulia Nestsiarenka (Belarus)
Belarusian sprinter Yulia Nestsiarenka broke the American dominance in the 100m by winning in Athens. She ran all her races, including the qualifications, semifinal, and final, in under 11 seconds. After a year-long break from the sport, Nestsiarenka returned but was no longer a dominant force.
2008 Beijing & 2012 London — Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica)
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, one of the world’s top sprinters, won the 100m Olympic gold medals in Beijing and London but settled for silver in Tokyo. In Paris, Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the semifinal due to injury. With eight Olympic medals, the Jamaican athlete has enjoyed a career spanning over a decade and a half.
2016 Rio de Janeiro & 2020 Tokyo — Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica)
Elaine Thompson-Herah became the first woman sprinter to win the "sprint double" (100m and 200m) at two consecutive Olympics — 2016 and 2020. Born in Manchester, Jamaica, in 1992, Thompson rose to prominence in 2015. At the Rio Olympics, she became the first woman since Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988 to achieve the sprint double, defending her titles in Tokyo and adding a 4x100m relay gold. Unfortunately, she was unable to compete in the Paris Olympics due to an Achilles tendon injury.
2024 Paris — Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia)
Julien Alfred, a relatively unknown sprinter from the small Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, outshone a star-studded field that included Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson. With a national record time of 10.72 seconds, the 23-year-old won gold and became Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medallist. Alfred later claimed the 200m silver. Born in 2001 in Ciceron, Castries, Saint Lucia, she moved to Texas for her studies and began winning intercollegiate races before making her mark on the international stage. Having won the 60m gold at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Alfred was a favourite in Paris. She did not disappoint.
