‘It’s about time’ - Frater backs Jamaica to take women’s 4x100m record

Olympic and World Championships relay gold medallist Michael Frater thinks Jamaica's women will dominate the world again this year. In fact, Frater can see Jamaica breaking the world record in the women's 4x100m.

Frater, the 2005 World Athletics Championships 100m metre runner-up, smiled when asked about the female sprint events.

"The women's side is on top of the world right now. It's going to be hard for anybody to trouble, well, the one-two for sure," he predicted, in reference to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson Herah, who have the fastest 100m times in the world at 10.67 and 10.79 seconds, respectively.

In reference to Olympic bronze medallist Shericka Jackson, he said, "Shericka had looked great earlier in the season, but then these last two races."

Jackson ran a balanced race to clock 11.00 in Kingston on May 7, but then lost to European champion Dina Asher-Smith in Birmingham, and was awarded third on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, host city of this year's World Championships, at the Prefontaine Classic in 10.92 in rainy, 13-degree weather.

"If you look at the 11 flat she ran in Kingston, into a 1.8 (wind reading), it looked great, but coach [Paul] Francis knows what he's doing, and I know they have been putting in a lot of work. I think she might be a little loaded, and his target is the National Championships and the World Championships. So I think the women are in excellent, excellent shape," he analysed with respect to the training programme at the MVP Track Club, where Jackson is based.

In her first season in the 100m, Jackson peaked perfectly in 2021 with a personal best of 10.76 at the Games.

"They should dominate again this year, and it's up for the other athletes to come and challenge them," Frater said.

Briana Williams, Thompson Herah, Fraser-Pryce, and Jackson set a national record of 41.02, and Frater can see them breaking the 10-year-old world record of 40.82 set by the USA at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

"I think it's about time," Frater, who helped Jamaica to the men's record of 36.84, said. As he reflected on their performance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, he confessed, "I thought the world record was gone, but I think it will definitely go this year, and once all ladies are healthy, without a doubt, they should have it.

"They have been running together for the last few years. They should know each other by this. They have good chemistry, so I think it's about time now."

Jamaica won the 4x100 in 41.44 at the last World Championships, thanks to Natalliah Whyte, who has run 10.97 this year, Fraser-Pryce, Jonielle Smith, and Jackson.