The reigning women’s 100m and 200m Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah, has split from her coach nine months before the Paris Games following a dispute over pay.
The management team of Thompson-Herah, the second fastest woman in history, blamed “a breakdown in negotiations” with Shanikie Osbourne and said her demands were “extremely excessive”.
Obsourne had been the Jamaican’s full-time coach only since the summer, after taking over from Thompson-Herah’s husband, Derron Herah. However, her impact had been significant as the 31-year-old finished the season strongly.
Having failed to break 11 seconds for 100m all year, as she recovered from injury, Thompson-Herah ran 10.92sec and 10.84sec in early September before ending her season with a 10.79sec run at the Diamond League final in Eugene.
A statement released by Thompson-Herah’s management said the package proposed by Osbourne was “by any measure of what is the norm for such services, was extremely excessive and without any flexibility to negotiate by the other party. Collectively, we had no choice but to seek the services of another coach.”
Thompson-Herah became the first woman to complete back-to-back Olympic sprint doubles when she retained her 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo in 2021. She then added a third gold medal as she led the Jamaican team to glory in the 4x100m relay.
That year she also became the second-fastest woman of all time in the 100m, running 10.54sec. That put her behind only Florence Griffith Joyner, who ran 10.49sec in 1988.
Thompson-Herah’s team acknowledged the progress made with Osbourne, who had worked with her previously when Thompson-Herah was with world-renowned Jamaican coach Stephen Francis, and thanked her for “her impact in a very short space of time”. However, they confirmed that they were already looking for a new coach to help the 31-year-old retain her titles in Paris.
“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,” they said. “Rest assured that the best interest of Mrs 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.”
