Sprint: The World's Fastest Humans (2024) s01e04 Episode Script
Episode 4
[drums pulse]
[commentator] The World Championships
in Hungary are just 43 days away.
[dramatic music playing]
[commentator] Team stars will be
decided on the track
to see who the nation's best are.
[man] Whether you're from
Europe or South America, from Asia,
every country's
best track and field athlete
wants the same thing.
We're going to Budapest.
- Road to Budapest.
- Yes. Right here.
[crowd cheers]
The Nationals is the qualifier
for the World Championships.
They happen on the exact same weekend
all over the world.
And there's a lot on the line.
[man 1] This year on the women's side,
we have some of the best
if not the best sprinters
in the history of the sport.
[commentator] All these athletes know
there's very little room for error.
This is it.
[woman] For the US, Gabby Thomas,
and of course Sha'Carri,
are gonna face off against each other
to see who is the fastest,
and who really wants a spot on that team.
[woman 1] Being in Eugene
for trials for an entire week
is really just you focusing
and getting in that mental state.
[woman 2] Nothing is guaranteed
and you don't get no do-over.
[man] And in the Jamaican Nationals is
three of the best sprinters ever.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce,
Shericka Jackson
and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
[woman 3] It is going to be an uphill
battle to make this team.
[woman 4] No athlete in this world
training their-self to lose a race.
[woman 5] Our country's small,
our athletes are small,
but we are mighty in our punches.
There's no room for error.
The moment is now.
[starter pistol fires]
[woman 6] They're bringing
their A game, man.
Once you show up on the day,
it's go-time for everybody.
[electronic crescendo]
[starter pistol fires]
[clacking]
[drums pulse]
[cheering]
[electronic pulsing]
[drums pulse]
[city traffic hums]
["So Fly" by Dexx! Turner
& ADGRMS playing]
Uh I'm on my grind every day ♪
I do what I got to
I move like a Shotta ♪
Like I'm in the line for the Js
I move like a father ♪
That's there for his daughter
I pick up my mind and my pace ♪
Never lose is the model ♪
I get down and swallow my pride
And cruise like a wave ♪
I swear on my life I be getting it done
High in the sky I can high five the sun ♪
And walk in heaven like I am the one
I guess that makes me a son of a gun ♪
Do what I do
And take off like a launch ♪
I am the truth
And you knew from the launch ♪
I be on my grind like every day
Know I'm 'gon shine in every way ♪
Big guy I'm a heavyweight ♪
I be so fly I can levitate ♪
- Sit up.
- [clanking]
- Very good form with the ball.
- Yes.
The consistent effort,
with a lick of ball.
[music continues]
Okay.
I'm Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
- I'm a Jamaican, of course.
- [swooshing]
I'm an Olympic champion, a couple times.
I'm a world champion a lot of times,
a mommy,
and my career is track and field. Yeah.
[pensive music playing]
I grew up poor,
so I was kind of forced to do track.
My mom saw something in me.
She used to drill in my head that,
you know, track and field was gonna be
my way out.
- Hi, my sister. Keep it up, man.
- Thank you.
- Keep it up, I love you, alright?
- Ah yes yes, yeah man.
[man] From the World Championships
it's what? Five 100-meter golds?
You've never gotten another color
at the World Champs, right?
He knows everything about track.
Just ask him who won what year
and he'll tell you.
[producer] Who's the most successful
female runner of all time?
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Ask him again.
[exciting music playing]
[woman] Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is
the queen of sprinting.
[commentator] And here comes
Fraser of Jamaica,
- running away from the field to win it!
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator 1] It was never even close.
She has been on the scene for so long.
[commentator] Fraser-Pryce
on the nearside!
The Olympic champion defends the title!
Wow!
[commentator] And she's going to do it!
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce!
Five world titles!
She's shown you can have
these incredible performances
in your latter 30s
and I think it's in her hands
how long she wants to take that.
As a fact, she is the most
successful, she has the most medals
from major championships.
- Who else has won all those?
- Nobody.
[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce] I'm 36. Yes,
I've won all these other titles,
but I still have that mojo to keep going.
I know it's not just going to be handed
to me,
because one thing
I can tell you about sprinting:
you are not gonna be
the only one for too long.
We have three Jamaicans in the race,
[clanking]
but I'm the one they're chasing.
["Original" by Ty Frankel playing]
[music continues]
Ooh, look at this. Oh my gosh.
[music continues]
Phew!
I'm Elaine Thompson-Herah.
Five-time Olympic champion, gold medalist.
[producer] Fastest woman alive?
Oh, I guess that's all right.
[music continues]
[Elaine Thompson-Herah] I grew up in a
small community called Banana Ground.
[singing indistinctly]
Everybody knew me as a runner,
but I remember back in my community,
nay-sayers in the race would say,
"You will not make it,"
or, "You're not good."
Like, "I don't see you winning any races."
But I've been a part of this sport
for the past 11 years,
and I learned that
never let nobody tell you you cannot.
[electronic crescendo]
[rap music playing]
[commentator] Thompson on the far side.
And it's Thompson who's going to become
the Olympic champion!
And she's done it in style!
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] Elaine Thompson, gold again!
[man] Elaine's an unbelievable talent.
Hell of a talent.
[commentator] The defending
Olympic champion,
Elaine Thompson-Herah,
a new Olympic record!
And when it's an Olympic year,
arguably, the biggest star,
everyone else will be looking at.
[man] The point over to the clock
may be the coldest move
in track and field.
[man 1] Elaine Thompson Hoorah!
The greatest sprinter of all time
in my eyes, as far as women.
["Volume High" by Dexx! Turner
& ADGRMS playing]
[Allyson Felix] Elaine Thompson
has almost done it all.
[commentator] She has got
the double gold again!
She is a double double Olympic champion.
[commentator] But it's Thompson
by quite some margin.
And when she's at her best,
she's damn near unbeatable.
["Wavy Level" by TY Frankel playing]
[Thompson-Herah] I'm very unique.
A little bit of this and a little that ♪
I like to do what
no other female has ever done before.
So I have this book.
These are all the things that I think
and I know I can do.
And I said, "I am the best, I am a winner,
I will be the greatest female sprinter
of all time."
This year, my main aim is to claim gold
at the World Championship in Budapest.
But to do that,
I need to first prove to the world
I am the best here in Jamaica.
And the main thing from me is believe.
I'm on the wavy level ♪
O n the wavy level yeah ♪
[man] Athletes around the world look at
what Jamaica has done and they go,
"This is ridiculous."
The amazing thing is the same coach,
Stephen Francis, famously guided both
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
What he has done over the past 15 seasons,
nobody's ever done that in this sport.
[hip-hop music playing]
[crew] Rolling.
[hip-hop music continues]
[man] I am Stephen Francis.
I am the chief coach
of most athletes at MVP.
Come on,
I want technique in this shit. Let's go!
- Lift your knee higher!
- [whistle blows]
[Stephen Francis] And we have produced
many athletes who are better than most.
Knees, knees, knees!
No, man! It must go up, toward the chest!
[Stephen Francis] We're different
from a lot of other training groups,
in that we operate more like a team.
Morning.
[Stephen Francis]
Everybody trains together,
and we have
sprinters of all different levels.
[Paul Francis] Jaden, who yuh si wid dem
han right yasuh?
Nuh wonda yuh nuh wah cum do nuh exercise.
[birds twittering]
I'm the head coach
at the MVP Track and Field Club.
But Stephen Francis, my brother,
is something of a guru.
Swing your hands, swing your hands.
[Michael Johnson] With Stephen Francis
at MVP,
those guys are some
of the smartest coaches in the world.
- [whistle blows]
- [dramatic music playing]
They've created
a training culture that breeds champions.
[commentator] It's all Jamaica!
One, two and three!
[Paul Francis] We are the most successful
track and field group in the world.
- Winning more than 130 global medals.
- [cheering]
[commentator 1] Glorious gold once again
to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
We had Shelly,
she was the first on the scene.
[Stephen Francis] Shelly reigned for a
long time and then came Elaine.
[dramatic music continues]
- [shrieking]
- [whooping]
[Stephen Francis] They were friends.
But once you have two strong females
going head to head for the same thing,
and they see each other
standing in the way,
then they develop problems
with each other.
[electronic pulsing]
Eventually went to the stage
where they don't speak to each other.
It became too much for Shelly, at least,
and she decided to leave.
[electronic pulsing]
[Fraser-Pryce] When I decided to leave
where I was at,
I had no other choice.
- [electronic pulsing]
- [swooshing]
[Fraser-Pryce] You're grateful for
the experience,
but I had to make decisions for myself
to get to the next level.
[electronic pulsing]
[Stephen Francis] And then Elaine
Thompson-Herah
left a year or so ago, so
Whoo!
[woman] Confirmation of
Elaine Thompson-Herah's
split from veteran coach Stephen Francis
came Monday night via a press release.
[tense music playing]
[Johnson] I think people were surprised
when Elaine decided to leave MVP
because she had had so much success.
[commentator] Thompson-Herah.
What a statement.
10.54!
It's the second fastest time in history.
I've grown and matured
and I know what is best for me,
so pretty much I have
a home-grown environment, you know.
What I want for myself
and the path that I'm heading,
- Yes.
- MVP could not provide it anymore.
- [drums pulse]
- [pistol fires]
When you let all athletes train together,
it can be very challenging
because you tend to race
each other in practice.
You don't want that to happen, you don't
want too much chaos and problems.
You're gonna focus on the wrong thing.
[Stephen Francis] I am not going to go
into revealing my trade secrets,
but I am quite comfortable, you know.
This is how I prepare my athletes.
[Stephen Francis] But with Elaine,
there was expectation
of one on one attention
over other athletes.
She thought that is more important than
the results she was getting.
[tense music fades out]
[Johnson] I think coaches are underrated.
This is a partnership,
and when it's not working,
you need to change it,
but then there's risk involved in that.
[birds warbling]
Okay!
[swooshing]
[Thompson-Herah]
My husband is my coach now.
He is getting me where I want to get
on the track.
[reggae music playing]
You want to see me in Ray-Bans.
Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise.
[Thompson-Herah] I was a part of
the MVP Club for the past
I think roughly almost 11 years.
Being there at MVP helped me to be
the person that I am today.
But the more you grow,
the more you know what you want.
Sometimes I have to be selfish,
and I think that's what the fans are,
the people don't understand
that if you want to be great,
you have to be selfish.
[music stops]
[Felix] Elaine is dealing with
a lot of change in her life,
and changing coaches is hard.
That relationship is so important.
She works really hard
and is very disciplined.
I think the main ingredient
for somebody of her caliber
is to stay healthy, so that's why I keep
up with the evolution of stuff, so
- continuous improvement and everything.
- [tap running]
[Felix] You know, when you change coaches,
there's an adjustment period.
You've got to get used to it
and that's a lot to deal with
when you're trying to
qualify for the World Championships.
The pressure only gets bigger
because people are looking and waiting
to see if something goes wrong.
[tense music playing]
I'm not gonna make a fool of myself.
I can sprint on my own without MVP.
Anybody can be your coach.
Once they know what you want
and what they can do to help you,
they can make your dream come true.
- [indistinct chatter]
- [motivational clapping]
[Johnson] Down there at MVP,
there's a heritage
and legacy there that is really important.
And when you're a sprinter
representing MVP,
it carries some weight.
Aye Shericka!
Miracle sprintah dem call yuh.
- [laughing]
- [suspenseful music playing]
Hear dis bloodclaat ya.
[Johnson] I think that now that
Shelly-Ann and Elaine are not there,
the expectation is that Shericka Jackson
can be that super star for MVP.
- [starter pistol fires]
- [cheering]
[commentator] Shericka Jackson!
The world leader coming away on this one!
21.46, the fastest time
in the world this year!
The world champion is Shericka Jackson!
[vuvuzela blares]
[Johnson] I think her first shift was
seeing an opportunity in the 200 meters
after winning the gold medal
in 2022 at the World Championships.
I think she now sees
the expectation is to win
gold medals at 100 meters and 200 meters.
[suspenseful music continues]
That's a tremendous amount of pressure
for Shericka to deal with.
- [birds chirping]
- [clanking]
[clanking repeatedly]
I have a goal.
- What, to do To do what?
- [clanking]
[clanking loudly]
- Look like him in two weeks.
- Mmhm?
- I have a date I want to impress.
- Ooh, what?
- That's unimpressive.
- [chuckling]
[Shericka Jackson] Paul Francis is my
coach,
and when he comes on to supporting people,
MVP energy has been so positive.
You have been very strict on yourself,
but a better way to make a difference,
is just like you're running, you know.
Each year, you get a little closer to what
you practiced in the race.
And when something is not going
the way you want,
- be calm and react.
- [birds twittering]
And that is what is going to make
everybody's jaw drop.
Yup.
[hip-hop music playing]
[Jackson] We have
Jamaican trial coming up.
[man] Get ready!
Ready, at your mark!
Come on, explode!
[Jackson] I'm definitely working hard
to be number one.
[man] Set!
[starter pistol fires]
[hip-hop music continues]
[Jackson] I want to win against
Elaine and Shelly.
And I want to win for MVP.
Deh one ya, yuh need to go out
much hawdah dan dat.
More aggressive bam bam bam,
an jus guh choo.
Suh from stawt guh choo bam bam bam bam.
Better!
Kool?
Wahpn to yuh?
[Jackson] But I have to go out there
and perform.
Jackson, wah gwaan?
[Jackson] And if I don't perform,
I don't make the team
for the World Championship.
[hip-hop music intensifies]
[Stephen Francis] Shericka Jackson
now becomes the prime focus.
MVP women have won the 100 meters
for the last four Olympic games.
We want winners and winners all the time.
[hip-hop music continues]
[Stephen Francis] But
the Americans are coming.
This is pressure.
This is do or die.
[music stops]
[hip-hop music returns]
[radio host] All right, y'all, we're back
with another episode of Out of The Blocks.
This is one of the biggest weekends
in track and field.
The US championship,
let's talk about the women's 200.
We do have
the infamous Sha'Carri Richardson,
we're going to get some real competition
going with Miss Thomas, Miss Harvard.
If there's a zombie apocalypse,
she's gonna save us all
because she's the smartest person.
This is somebody we need to watch out for
in the Women's 200 out of the USA.
I'm Gabby Thomas
and I'm a Team USA sprinter
and I'm an Olympic bronze medalist
in the 200 meters.
All right, puppy.
- [dog panting]
- [giggles]
There's the boys.
[exclaiming]
There's Spencer.
Go, go, go, go.
Yes! Yes, Spence.
[clapping]
[exclaiming]
Hey, guys.
[giggles]
Hey! Good to see you.
[giggles]
How's training going?
- Really good, actually.
- Yeah?
- Yeah. Everything's going well.
- Yeah.
I'm feeling healthy.
Been getting the work in.
Like, when I first saw you,
I had no idea that you were a sprinter
or anything like that, until I came across
on YouTube about your events. It's crazy.
I feel like no one knows
when we're competing.
- People just see videos of us racing
- Yeah, I know.
- and be like, "Oh. Cool, she won."
- See, I had
[cheering]
[commentator] The Harvard grad runs
a phenomenal 200,
and Gabby Thomas can't believe it.
[chuckles]
We've got some company.
[commentator] Look at Gabby Thomas.
When it comes to the sprints.
[Boldon] She's emerged as
America's best 200-meter runner
over the last couple seasons.
She got the Olympic bronze in Tokyo.
She was injured last year and had to watch
Shericka Jackson win on US soil
and break the championship record
and run the second fastest time ever.
So, at US Nationals in Eugene,
is a very rested,
very determined Gabby Thomas of the USA.
[laughing]
- You ready?
- Yeah.
- I'll be ready. I'll be ready.
- [indistinct chatter]
You need food, though.
- Maybe we can make a barbecue later.
- Yes. I can't wait.
Come on, Rico.
[chuckles]
[Gabby Thomas] I have always just felt
like I needed to prove myself.
How do you like your steak, Gabby?
- Medium rare.
- Yes, so we're we're all the same.
Oh, thank you, guys.
[Thomas] Like in school, I was never just
naturally the best at anything.
You want any salad, baby?
I'm just a hard worker.
And that's how I got into Harvard
and that's how I made it
to the Olympic team.
The women's sprints
right now are just insane.
Like, yeah, when you're just watching
the Jamaicans are so amazing.
Like the 100 and the 200.
Every time someone runs, you're like
Is a record going to fall?
Are you racing again soon, Gabby?
My next race will literally be
the US trials.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
I mean, we prepare for like eight months
for that moment, so
The US trials seem brutal.
I mean, they just are.
Like, top 200-meter girls show up
and try to make sure we got a spot.
- Is it competitive?
- Yeah.
We're individual athletes,
you want to get on the team.
Truthfully in our race,
I think everyone's really nervous,
but it's good because we'll be pushing
each other to do amazing things.
[tense music playing]
I know what I need to do at Nationals,
so watch out.
I want to be the world leader
going into World Championships.
I like having that kind of power
like over my opponents.
It's part of the game,
of being a professional.
[exciting music playing]
[exciting music intensifies]
Today's a special day.
I can't say what,
but I can tell that
something special is going to happen.
[Jackson] In front of your home crowd,
you want to put on the best performance.
[vuvuzela blares]
The energy is just different.
- Pot cova!
- [clanking]
- The atmosphere, the environment
- Whoo-hoo!
is gonna be super exciting.
[exciting music continues]
- Is it the final today?
- Most definitely.
We are going to Budapest. Right there.
- Road to Budapest.
- Yes!
[Thompson-Herah]
Trials is always intense.
We don't want to lose to each other.
Each person always wanted to be
on the top.
My main goal is to just make it to
Budapest
and then we take it from there.
[Felix] At the Jamaica
National Championships,
Elaine is competing in the 100 meters,
Shelly-Ann in the 200
and Shericka Jackson is doing both.
[exciting music continues]
Yeah, I like Shelly.
To me, Thompson.
But some who like her first,
who now come in,
Shericka Jackson. Very fast.
[commentator] Coming up is
the women's 200 meters,
and some people think this race might be
the race of the entire meet!
Shericka Jackson
and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce need that one.
[crowd cheering]
Whoo! hoo-hoo-hoo!
Evrybadi a wah movie star.
Wah wah? A movie star.
[Felix] Shelly-Ann is a fan favorite.
[exclaiming]
Because she's done it so much before.
And you can count on her
when it's a pressure situation.
No, I am not on TikTok.
As an alpha female,
mi nuh wah si
my man pan tik tok evryday deh pan
[Fraser-Pryce] Being here
with the young athletes,
I'm the oldest.
Shericka is coming up,
but she better be ready
because I have not yet reached my peak.
And that's just the truth.
- Hi it's me ♪
- Hello.
I'm gonna show the world
that motherhood doesn't stop anything.
It doesn't diminish who you are
as a person.
If anything, it enhances you,
makes you have like a super power.
There's more to give,
and I'm gonna give it.
And I'm not gonna stop until I get there.
[drums pulse]
[suspenseful music pulses]
[announcer] Ten minutes for the 200
meters senior women.
[Jackson] The relationship
between me and Shelly is good.
But once you show up on the day,
everybody is a person to beat.
I don't think anybody goes on a track
to come second or third.
- [crowd cheers]
- [electronic music crescendo]
[Jackson] Everybody wants to be a winner.
[commentator] Air of expectation
around this one.
- [commentator 1] Here is Shericka Jackson.
- [cheering]
[commentator 2] Do I need to introduce
this lady
Listen to the crowd
for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
[crowd cheering]
[Fraser-Pryce] Down the line, I'm not
thinking about who's lining up beside me.
I'm thinking about running my best race,
putting myself in the best position
to win.
[Jackson] Before I go in the blocks,
I want to visualize what I'm going to do.
[referee] On your marks!
[drum pulses]
[Jackson] After that, I'm just like,
okay then.
Deep breath and I'm ready.
[drums pulse]
[commentator 2] Stadium goes quiet.
[referee] Set!
- [starter pistol fires]
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator 2] Very good start
from Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce!
But here comes Shericka Jackson!
It's Fraser-Pryce and Jackson!
[cheering intensifies]
- [commentator 2] Shericka Jackson.
- [cheering]
Pushing, driving.
Pulling away.
[drums pulse]
- [commentator 2] Shericka Jackson!
- [cheering]
[drums crescendo]
- [commentator 2] She is the champion!
- [cheering]
Twenty-one seventy-one!
The fastest time in the world this year,
by Shericka Jackson.
[upbeat triumphant music playing]
[Jackson] I wanted to prove a point
That I am among the world leaders.
I am one of the best.
And right now
I'm in the best shape of my life.
[triumphant music crescendo]
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finished
in second.
[inspirational music playing]
[Fraser-Pryce] I made
the World Championships.
That's good.
But I'm not there to make up numbers,
I'm not there to shake your hand.
I'm there to win first.
So, of course
I'm looking forward to Budapest 2023
to defend my title again.
[crowd cheers]
[Johnson] For Shericka,
it's a huge confidence boost,
and she's just proven herself
as the fastest 200-meter runner
in the world right now.
[commentator 2] Shericka Jackson
in spectacular form.
Running twenty-one-seventy-one, Jackson.
[Johnson] At the same time as
Jamaica's championships,
you've got the US having theirs.
[drums crescendo]
[Johnson] And there is athletes watching
what's happening in the other country,
because that gives you some indication
of what you're in for
at the World Championships,
at the end of the year.
[exciting music playing]
[Boldon] When something happens
in Kingston, Jamaica,
it's reported immediately
and everybody in different locations
can look and go, "Oh!"
[commentator] The fastest time in the
world by Shericka Jackson.
Golly!
In Eugene, that world lead just set now
becomes Gabby Thomas' target.
[crowd cheers]
[exciting music pulses]
If y'all are listening to
this, I need you to understand,
we don't be hype about track and field
for no reason.
The women's 200 happening in the US,
you want to place top three at the trials
in order to make your team.
[Jasmine Todd] This is about to be insane.
- All right.
- Go!
How are we doing, guys?
We're doing a countdown.
[commentator] Let's go to
the women's 200-meter final,
everybody is talking about,
this is going to be exciting.
Gabby Thomas is in the zone,
but she's got competition.
Sha'Carri Richardson.
- [exhales deeply]
- [announcer] Five, Richardson.
[Boldon] Sha'Carri has looked different
this year.
She's been saying the right things,
I think she's been doing the right things,
she's been as focused as
I have ever seen her as an athlete.
Eight is Thomas.
[Boldon] But Gabby has
that kind of tenacity.
She smiles a lot,
but at her core,
there is a killer instinct
that I have seen come out.
- All right, ladies. You're all here.
- [cymbals double tap]
Ladies, come on up on that door.
- Good luck, ladies.
- Thank you.
[dramatic music crescendo]
[commentator] The world lead is 21.71
set just a few minutes ago by
Shericka Jackson, the world champion.
[announcer] Gabby Thomas!
[Thomas] I know that Shericka just ran
faster at the 200, at trials, so yeah.
Definitely adds pressure.
[announcer] Sha'Carri Richardson!
- [bells clang]
- [crowd cheering]
[Richardson] I have to make it count
in this moment.
You're running to represent the country.
This is what I've been working for.
[exciting music intensifies]
[Thomas] This is gonna be a battle
and that competitiveness in me
is coming out.
[referee] On your mark.
[exciting music crescendo]
[referee] Set.
- [starter pistol fires]
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator] Sha'Carri Richardson
responded to the gun amazingly.
She leads off the turn!
[commentator 1] Here's Gabby Thomas!
[exciting music continues]
Gabby Thomas is not gonna be dominated
here!
[exciting music crescendo]
21.59! That is a new world lead!
[motivational shouting]
Gabby Thomas came back with a vengeance.
That was a world-leading performance,
and she was like,
"They can't take this from us"
Hey, tall girls from Harvard winning!
Okay, tall girls from Harvard winning!
[laughing]
[inspirational music playing]
[Thomas] This is all I hoped for.
Being the world leader,
going into World Championships.
Gives you the sense of confidence.
Like, you have done the work,
you have shown everyone
what you're capable of.
[music intensifies]
That was an awesome job out there.
- So, Gabrielle's our champion right here.
- Congratulations!
I'm just happy to be able to reclaim
my title as the 200 queen!
I have an opportunity to compete for
World Championship gold,
and that's really what I wanted,
so I'm happy.
[Boldon] Sha'Carri Richardson
comes second.
Let's go!
She's guaranteed to know
people will have questions
as to whether she can deliver.
Can you go to the World Championships
in Budapest?
Can you really beat the Jamaicans?
[Richardson] It made me anxious, that 200,
because I was qualified,
but I didn't do my best.
Now I have no choice
but to run good for the 100.
Come on!
[exclaiming indistinctly]
[laughing]
The biggest thing is making the team.
[exciting music playing]
So, I decided to put on my beautiful wigs.
I knew y'alls was gonna watch.
["All Action" by Ty Frankel
& Greggory Covington playing]
Living in the moment
Looking at right now ♪
[Johnson] So, Sha'Carri won
the Olympic trials.
[commentator] Richardson's going to Tokyo!
Unbelievable performance,
but of course we all know
she didn't end up competing at Tokyo.
Sha'Carri Richardson will not compete
at the Olympic games.
[Johnson] She'll want to put that
behind her
and show that this potential
and talent we've all seen flashes of
can actually get her
onto the 100-meters US team.
[Katelyn Hutchison] Sha'Carri
has been through so much
in her track life, in her personal life.
This is the opportunity for her to really
make that dream come true.
[announcer] And on the track now
- Women's 100-meter final.
- [music crescendo]
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] The spotlight is shining
on Sha'Carri Richardson.
She's yet to make a 100 meters team
in the global championships.
[Richardson] Last time I was on the big
stadium here, I had my orange hair.
I feel like I have to shed the old
and present the new.
In lane four, Sha'Carri Richardson!
- [crowd cheers]
- Oh, wow! Look out!
She means business.
[Hutchison] Baby Sha'Carri done took
the wig off!
- She just want everybody to know
- This is serious, right?
[Todd] Back in 2021,
her hair was orange going into that trial,
so that's a big significance,
her taking that wig off
in this 100-meter final.
[hip-hop music continues]
[Richardson] Because of the pressure
of this race,
it's like, at this point,
I gotta be prepared.
Can't be too excited.
- It's just
- [music crescendo]
breathe.
Nothing else matters.
[drums pulse]
[referee] Set!
[starter pistol fires]
[commentator] Not a good start
from Sha'Carri Richardson!
Tamari Davis on her inside
is making her work for it!
[dramatic music playing]
[commentator 1] Her start betrayed her!
[commentator 2] Will she be able
to find something?
[music intensifies]
Now! Here comes Sha'Carri Richardson!
- [dance music playing]
- [cheering intensifies]
[commentator] Richardson is
the national champion!
- 10.84!
- [exclaiming]
What!
[commentator] The World Championships
are waiting for Sha'Carri!
[commentator 1] Richardson has booked
her spot
in the World Championship rounds
in Budapest.
She's come here to make a statement.
Tell everybody, and tell the Jamaican
Shericka Jackson of Kingston,
that she's gonna be
the person to beat at Worlds.
I stand here
with you again and I'm ready.
Mentally, physically and emotionally.
And I'm here to stay.
I'm not back, I'm better.
I won't say a word!
- [drums crescendo]
- [cymbals crescendo]
[dramatic music playing]
Ten minutes for the 100 meters women.
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] Everyone wants to see
a really competitive race.
Shericka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah.
What are we about to see?
[hip-hop music playing]
[Jackson] The American girls always bring
their A game,
and seeing them working hard
makes me work harder.
- But here in the stadium in Jamaica,
- [hip-hop music intensifies]
Elaine is the person to beat.
It's not gonna be easy,
so I really need to execute
and a good race as possible.
[hip-hop music fades]
Si, when yuh get it
yaafi know fi jus keep going.
[Thompson-Herah] Shericka always turns up
on the track.
[suspenseful music playing]
But I don't see anybody as a threat.
So I don't think about anybody else,
just myself.
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
it's the women's 100-meter final!
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] The big final!
Tension has gripped the national stadium.
[announcer] The two-time Olympic
sprint double gold medalist,
Elaine Thompson-Herah!
[commentator] Does she have what it takes
to get on the plane to Budapest?
[announcer] Defending national champion,
from MVP,
Shericka Jackson!
- [crowd cheers]
- [suspenseful music playing]
[announcer] We ask that you hold the
excitement until after the gun!
Mister Starter, it's over to you.
Oh, the race? Aww, shit.
Well, Elaine is going to do
what Elaine does.
No pressure.
[clock ticking]
[Thompson-Herah] You have to believe in
yourself.
It's time to show how great I am.
[drums pulse]
And I think I am the best in Jamaica
and in the world.
[referee] On your marks.
[suspenseful music continues]
[referee] Set.
[electronic heartbeat pulsing]
- [pistol echoes]
- [cheering]
[commentator] Off they go!
Very, very good start by Thompson-Herah!
[drums pulse]
Come on.
Get to work, get to work.
- [drums pulse]
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator] But here comes
Shericka Jackson!
Step forward, Shericka Jackson,
imperiously!
Shericka Jackson, pulling away!
[crowd cheers intensify]
[commentator] Shericka Jackson, 10.65!
New personal best, new world leading!
[shrieking]
- Whoa!
- [exclaiming]
[celebratory shrieking]
[celebratory exclaiming]
[rap music playing]
[commentator] What a performance
- on the big occasion!
- [vuvuzela blares]
That was magical!
[inspirational music playing]
Oh yeah, one inch!
- [crowd applauds]
- [crowd cheers]
[Jackson] Whenever I'm winning,
it just makes me happy.
A couple years ago, nobody was talking
about Shericka Jackson.
Now I am making a name for myself.
- [whooping]
- [cheering]
[shrieking]
It's a good feeling to be among the best
and I'm right there.
[indistinct singing]
This is huge. This is huge.
[Paul Francis] Shericka Jackson is an
amazing athlete and person.
We, as a team,
have been super proud of her.
[inspirational music continues]
[Stephen Francis] Shericka is looking a
lot better than last year.
And at the World Championships,
I am expecting her to do extremely well.
Memba mi tell yuh seh nuh spot nuh
pudung fi nuhbody, yaafi cum run fi it.
[commentator] Elaine Thompson-Herah,
just fifth.
[commentator 1] Elaine failed to meet
the individual team
to the World Championships.
[announcer] Shericka Jackson!
[Thompson-Herah] Track and field is
a give and take.
You win some, you lose some.
[inspirational music continues]
[Thompson-Herah] No athlete in this world
wants to lose a race,
but my loss has helped me to be better.
You learn from that.
You don't get to be the Olympic champion
and not being able to overcome stuff.
You gotta overcome stuff.
Such is life.
[clock ticking]
For me it's all about being the best.
I know it's gonna be fire,
and better things to come.
[clock ticking continues]
Next year,
my focus is just to stay healthy
and just to be back on the top.
["Yuh Know" by Usain Bolt & NJ playing]
We life alright we nuh pree that ♪
Pree that ♪
Generational wealth yeah we need that ♪
Bombaat wi a gah wurl champions,
yuh know e somn bout eh eh eh!
[Johnson] I think that Shericka sees this
year as, "Absolutely, this is my year."
Oh, God.
[Johnson] "This is my opportunity,
my time."
All right, we have, what, three weeks?
[Johnson] She won the double in Jamaica.
Next stop, World Championships.
[announcer] And national champion.
[Johnson] For sure Shericka's gonna be
in the conversation
with Sha'Carri and Gabby.
She will want to be world champion
at 100 meters and 200 meters.
We will see!
[announcer] Congratulations, ladies.
[Jackson] Heading into Budapest,
I'm super hungry.
It's a battlefield, you know?
When I go there, I'm bringing my A game.
It's business time and I'm ready.
[dramatic music crescendo]
[commentator] Welcome to the Hungarian
capital, bedazzling us.
[Richardson] Going into
my first World Championships.
Feeling the pressure
from so many different directions.
[man] You were nervous.
You didn't have a great time.
Well, thank you for mentioning that.
[pistol fires]
[man] You have to have
the mindset of a god
to think every time
that you're gonna win the race.
[commentator] What a night in Budapest!
Please, stop!
Noah? He hurt?
[car crashing]
[man] You got the skill,
you got the desire.
We taking everything we want.
["At the Top" by Knives at Sea playing]
I'mma take it back
Take it back to the base ♪
I'm the one they want
Yeah got it at the basement ♪
Now I'm sky high
When I pull up in the spaceship ♪
Face it
Rap's on the [indistinct] ♪
They didn't see me coming
Trouping on the [indistinct] base ♪
Summer now I'm startin' ♪
I ain't never comin' down
I'm on a summit ♪
I'm not coming down ♪
Subtitle creation by: Lesley Taylor
[commentator] The World Championships
in Hungary are just 43 days away.
[dramatic music playing]
[commentator] Team stars will be
decided on the track
to see who the nation's best are.
[man] Whether you're from
Europe or South America, from Asia,
every country's
best track and field athlete
wants the same thing.
We're going to Budapest.
- Road to Budapest.
- Yes. Right here.
[crowd cheers]
The Nationals is the qualifier
for the World Championships.
They happen on the exact same weekend
all over the world.
And there's a lot on the line.
[man 1] This year on the women's side,
we have some of the best
if not the best sprinters
in the history of the sport.
[commentator] All these athletes know
there's very little room for error.
This is it.
[woman] For the US, Gabby Thomas,
and of course Sha'Carri,
are gonna face off against each other
to see who is the fastest,
and who really wants a spot on that team.
[woman 1] Being in Eugene
for trials for an entire week
is really just you focusing
and getting in that mental state.
[woman 2] Nothing is guaranteed
and you don't get no do-over.
[man] And in the Jamaican Nationals is
three of the best sprinters ever.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce,
Shericka Jackson
and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
[woman 3] It is going to be an uphill
battle to make this team.
[woman 4] No athlete in this world
training their-self to lose a race.
[woman 5] Our country's small,
our athletes are small,
but we are mighty in our punches.
There's no room for error.
The moment is now.
[starter pistol fires]
[woman 6] They're bringing
their A game, man.
Once you show up on the day,
it's go-time for everybody.
[electronic crescendo]
[starter pistol fires]
[clacking]
[drums pulse]
[cheering]
[electronic pulsing]
[drums pulse]
[city traffic hums]
["So Fly" by Dexx! Turner
& ADGRMS playing]
Uh I'm on my grind every day ♪
I do what I got to
I move like a Shotta ♪
Like I'm in the line for the Js
I move like a father ♪
That's there for his daughter
I pick up my mind and my pace ♪
Never lose is the model ♪
I get down and swallow my pride
And cruise like a wave ♪
I swear on my life I be getting it done
High in the sky I can high five the sun ♪
And walk in heaven like I am the one
I guess that makes me a son of a gun ♪
Do what I do
And take off like a launch ♪
I am the truth
And you knew from the launch ♪
I be on my grind like every day
Know I'm 'gon shine in every way ♪
Big guy I'm a heavyweight ♪
I be so fly I can levitate ♪
- Sit up.
- [clanking]
- Very good form with the ball.
- Yes.
The consistent effort,
with a lick of ball.
[music continues]
Okay.
I'm Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
- I'm a Jamaican, of course.
- [swooshing]
I'm an Olympic champion, a couple times.
I'm a world champion a lot of times,
a mommy,
and my career is track and field. Yeah.
[pensive music playing]
I grew up poor,
so I was kind of forced to do track.
My mom saw something in me.
She used to drill in my head that,
you know, track and field was gonna be
my way out.
- Hi, my sister. Keep it up, man.
- Thank you.
- Keep it up, I love you, alright?
- Ah yes yes, yeah man.
[man] From the World Championships
it's what? Five 100-meter golds?
You've never gotten another color
at the World Champs, right?
He knows everything about track.
Just ask him who won what year
and he'll tell you.
[producer] Who's the most successful
female runner of all time?
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Ask him again.
[exciting music playing]
[woman] Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is
the queen of sprinting.
[commentator] And here comes
Fraser of Jamaica,
- running away from the field to win it!
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator 1] It was never even close.
She has been on the scene for so long.
[commentator] Fraser-Pryce
on the nearside!
The Olympic champion defends the title!
Wow!
[commentator] And she's going to do it!
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce!
Five world titles!
She's shown you can have
these incredible performances
in your latter 30s
and I think it's in her hands
how long she wants to take that.
As a fact, she is the most
successful, she has the most medals
from major championships.
- Who else has won all those?
- Nobody.
[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce] I'm 36. Yes,
I've won all these other titles,
but I still have that mojo to keep going.
I know it's not just going to be handed
to me,
because one thing
I can tell you about sprinting:
you are not gonna be
the only one for too long.
We have three Jamaicans in the race,
[clanking]
but I'm the one they're chasing.
["Original" by Ty Frankel playing]
[music continues]
Ooh, look at this. Oh my gosh.
[music continues]
Phew!
I'm Elaine Thompson-Herah.
Five-time Olympic champion, gold medalist.
[producer] Fastest woman alive?
Oh, I guess that's all right.
[music continues]
[Elaine Thompson-Herah] I grew up in a
small community called Banana Ground.
[singing indistinctly]
Everybody knew me as a runner,
but I remember back in my community,
nay-sayers in the race would say,
"You will not make it,"
or, "You're not good."
Like, "I don't see you winning any races."
But I've been a part of this sport
for the past 11 years,
and I learned that
never let nobody tell you you cannot.
[electronic crescendo]
[rap music playing]
[commentator] Thompson on the far side.
And it's Thompson who's going to become
the Olympic champion!
And she's done it in style!
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] Elaine Thompson, gold again!
[man] Elaine's an unbelievable talent.
Hell of a talent.
[commentator] The defending
Olympic champion,
Elaine Thompson-Herah,
a new Olympic record!
And when it's an Olympic year,
arguably, the biggest star,
everyone else will be looking at.
[man] The point over to the clock
may be the coldest move
in track and field.
[man 1] Elaine Thompson Hoorah!
The greatest sprinter of all time
in my eyes, as far as women.
["Volume High" by Dexx! Turner
& ADGRMS playing]
[Allyson Felix] Elaine Thompson
has almost done it all.
[commentator] She has got
the double gold again!
She is a double double Olympic champion.
[commentator] But it's Thompson
by quite some margin.
And when she's at her best,
she's damn near unbeatable.
["Wavy Level" by TY Frankel playing]
[Thompson-Herah] I'm very unique.
A little bit of this and a little that ♪
I like to do what
no other female has ever done before.
So I have this book.
These are all the things that I think
and I know I can do.
And I said, "I am the best, I am a winner,
I will be the greatest female sprinter
of all time."
This year, my main aim is to claim gold
at the World Championship in Budapest.
But to do that,
I need to first prove to the world
I am the best here in Jamaica.
And the main thing from me is believe.
I'm on the wavy level ♪
O n the wavy level yeah ♪
[man] Athletes around the world look at
what Jamaica has done and they go,
"This is ridiculous."
The amazing thing is the same coach,
Stephen Francis, famously guided both
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
What he has done over the past 15 seasons,
nobody's ever done that in this sport.
[hip-hop music playing]
[crew] Rolling.
[hip-hop music continues]
[man] I am Stephen Francis.
I am the chief coach
of most athletes at MVP.
Come on,
I want technique in this shit. Let's go!
- Lift your knee higher!
- [whistle blows]
[Stephen Francis] And we have produced
many athletes who are better than most.
Knees, knees, knees!
No, man! It must go up, toward the chest!
[Stephen Francis] We're different
from a lot of other training groups,
in that we operate more like a team.
Morning.
[Stephen Francis]
Everybody trains together,
and we have
sprinters of all different levels.
[Paul Francis] Jaden, who yuh si wid dem
han right yasuh?
Nuh wonda yuh nuh wah cum do nuh exercise.
[birds twittering]
I'm the head coach
at the MVP Track and Field Club.
But Stephen Francis, my brother,
is something of a guru.
Swing your hands, swing your hands.
[Michael Johnson] With Stephen Francis
at MVP,
those guys are some
of the smartest coaches in the world.
- [whistle blows]
- [dramatic music playing]
They've created
a training culture that breeds champions.
[commentator] It's all Jamaica!
One, two and three!
[Paul Francis] We are the most successful
track and field group in the world.
- Winning more than 130 global medals.
- [cheering]
[commentator 1] Glorious gold once again
to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
We had Shelly,
she was the first on the scene.
[Stephen Francis] Shelly reigned for a
long time and then came Elaine.
[dramatic music continues]
- [shrieking]
- [whooping]
[Stephen Francis] They were friends.
But once you have two strong females
going head to head for the same thing,
and they see each other
standing in the way,
then they develop problems
with each other.
[electronic pulsing]
Eventually went to the stage
where they don't speak to each other.
It became too much for Shelly, at least,
and she decided to leave.
[electronic pulsing]
[Fraser-Pryce] When I decided to leave
where I was at,
I had no other choice.
- [electronic pulsing]
- [swooshing]
[Fraser-Pryce] You're grateful for
the experience,
but I had to make decisions for myself
to get to the next level.
[electronic pulsing]
[Stephen Francis] And then Elaine
Thompson-Herah
left a year or so ago, so
Whoo!
[woman] Confirmation of
Elaine Thompson-Herah's
split from veteran coach Stephen Francis
came Monday night via a press release.
[tense music playing]
[Johnson] I think people were surprised
when Elaine decided to leave MVP
because she had had so much success.
[commentator] Thompson-Herah.
What a statement.
10.54!
It's the second fastest time in history.
I've grown and matured
and I know what is best for me,
so pretty much I have
a home-grown environment, you know.
What I want for myself
and the path that I'm heading,
- Yes.
- MVP could not provide it anymore.
- [drums pulse]
- [pistol fires]
When you let all athletes train together,
it can be very challenging
because you tend to race
each other in practice.
You don't want that to happen, you don't
want too much chaos and problems.
You're gonna focus on the wrong thing.
[Stephen Francis] I am not going to go
into revealing my trade secrets,
but I am quite comfortable, you know.
This is how I prepare my athletes.
[Stephen Francis] But with Elaine,
there was expectation
of one on one attention
over other athletes.
She thought that is more important than
the results she was getting.
[tense music fades out]
[Johnson] I think coaches are underrated.
This is a partnership,
and when it's not working,
you need to change it,
but then there's risk involved in that.
[birds warbling]
Okay!
[swooshing]
[Thompson-Herah]
My husband is my coach now.
He is getting me where I want to get
on the track.
[reggae music playing]
You want to see me in Ray-Bans.
Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise.
[Thompson-Herah] I was a part of
the MVP Club for the past
I think roughly almost 11 years.
Being there at MVP helped me to be
the person that I am today.
But the more you grow,
the more you know what you want.
Sometimes I have to be selfish,
and I think that's what the fans are,
the people don't understand
that if you want to be great,
you have to be selfish.
[music stops]
[Felix] Elaine is dealing with
a lot of change in her life,
and changing coaches is hard.
That relationship is so important.
She works really hard
and is very disciplined.
I think the main ingredient
for somebody of her caliber
is to stay healthy, so that's why I keep
up with the evolution of stuff, so
- continuous improvement and everything.
- [tap running]
[Felix] You know, when you change coaches,
there's an adjustment period.
You've got to get used to it
and that's a lot to deal with
when you're trying to
qualify for the World Championships.
The pressure only gets bigger
because people are looking and waiting
to see if something goes wrong.
[tense music playing]
I'm not gonna make a fool of myself.
I can sprint on my own without MVP.
Anybody can be your coach.
Once they know what you want
and what they can do to help you,
they can make your dream come true.
- [indistinct chatter]
- [motivational clapping]
[Johnson] Down there at MVP,
there's a heritage
and legacy there that is really important.
And when you're a sprinter
representing MVP,
it carries some weight.
Aye Shericka!
Miracle sprintah dem call yuh.
- [laughing]
- [suspenseful music playing]
Hear dis bloodclaat ya.
[Johnson] I think that now that
Shelly-Ann and Elaine are not there,
the expectation is that Shericka Jackson
can be that super star for MVP.
- [starter pistol fires]
- [cheering]
[commentator] Shericka Jackson!
The world leader coming away on this one!
21.46, the fastest time
in the world this year!
The world champion is Shericka Jackson!
[vuvuzela blares]
[Johnson] I think her first shift was
seeing an opportunity in the 200 meters
after winning the gold medal
in 2022 at the World Championships.
I think she now sees
the expectation is to win
gold medals at 100 meters and 200 meters.
[suspenseful music continues]
That's a tremendous amount of pressure
for Shericka to deal with.
- [birds chirping]
- [clanking]
[clanking repeatedly]
I have a goal.
- What, to do To do what?
- [clanking]
[clanking loudly]
- Look like him in two weeks.
- Mmhm?
- I have a date I want to impress.
- Ooh, what?
- That's unimpressive.
- [chuckling]
[Shericka Jackson] Paul Francis is my
coach,
and when he comes on to supporting people,
MVP energy has been so positive.
You have been very strict on yourself,
but a better way to make a difference,
is just like you're running, you know.
Each year, you get a little closer to what
you practiced in the race.
And when something is not going
the way you want,
- be calm and react.
- [birds twittering]
And that is what is going to make
everybody's jaw drop.
Yup.
[hip-hop music playing]
[Jackson] We have
Jamaican trial coming up.
[man] Get ready!
Ready, at your mark!
Come on, explode!
[Jackson] I'm definitely working hard
to be number one.
[man] Set!
[starter pistol fires]
[hip-hop music continues]
[Jackson] I want to win against
Elaine and Shelly.
And I want to win for MVP.
Deh one ya, yuh need to go out
much hawdah dan dat.
More aggressive bam bam bam,
an jus guh choo.
Suh from stawt guh choo bam bam bam bam.
Better!
Kool?
Wahpn to yuh?
[Jackson] But I have to go out there
and perform.
Jackson, wah gwaan?
[Jackson] And if I don't perform,
I don't make the team
for the World Championship.
[hip-hop music intensifies]
[Stephen Francis] Shericka Jackson
now becomes the prime focus.
MVP women have won the 100 meters
for the last four Olympic games.
We want winners and winners all the time.
[hip-hop music continues]
[Stephen Francis] But
the Americans are coming.
This is pressure.
This is do or die.
[music stops]
[hip-hop music returns]
[radio host] All right, y'all, we're back
with another episode of Out of The Blocks.
This is one of the biggest weekends
in track and field.
The US championship,
let's talk about the women's 200.
We do have
the infamous Sha'Carri Richardson,
we're going to get some real competition
going with Miss Thomas, Miss Harvard.
If there's a zombie apocalypse,
she's gonna save us all
because she's the smartest person.
This is somebody we need to watch out for
in the Women's 200 out of the USA.
I'm Gabby Thomas
and I'm a Team USA sprinter
and I'm an Olympic bronze medalist
in the 200 meters.
All right, puppy.
- [dog panting]
- [giggles]
There's the boys.
[exclaiming]
There's Spencer.
Go, go, go, go.
Yes! Yes, Spence.
[clapping]
[exclaiming]
Hey, guys.
[giggles]
Hey! Good to see you.
[giggles]
How's training going?
- Really good, actually.
- Yeah?
- Yeah. Everything's going well.
- Yeah.
I'm feeling healthy.
Been getting the work in.
Like, when I first saw you,
I had no idea that you were a sprinter
or anything like that, until I came across
on YouTube about your events. It's crazy.
I feel like no one knows
when we're competing.
- People just see videos of us racing
- Yeah, I know.
- and be like, "Oh. Cool, she won."
- See, I had
[cheering]
[commentator] The Harvard grad runs
a phenomenal 200,
and Gabby Thomas can't believe it.
[chuckles]
We've got some company.
[commentator] Look at Gabby Thomas.
When it comes to the sprints.
[Boldon] She's emerged as
America's best 200-meter runner
over the last couple seasons.
She got the Olympic bronze in Tokyo.
She was injured last year and had to watch
Shericka Jackson win on US soil
and break the championship record
and run the second fastest time ever.
So, at US Nationals in Eugene,
is a very rested,
very determined Gabby Thomas of the USA.
[laughing]
- You ready?
- Yeah.
- I'll be ready. I'll be ready.
- [indistinct chatter]
You need food, though.
- Maybe we can make a barbecue later.
- Yes. I can't wait.
Come on, Rico.
[chuckles]
[Gabby Thomas] I have always just felt
like I needed to prove myself.
How do you like your steak, Gabby?
- Medium rare.
- Yes, so we're we're all the same.
Oh, thank you, guys.
[Thomas] Like in school, I was never just
naturally the best at anything.
You want any salad, baby?
I'm just a hard worker.
And that's how I got into Harvard
and that's how I made it
to the Olympic team.
The women's sprints
right now are just insane.
Like, yeah, when you're just watching
the Jamaicans are so amazing.
Like the 100 and the 200.
Every time someone runs, you're like
Is a record going to fall?
Are you racing again soon, Gabby?
My next race will literally be
the US trials.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
I mean, we prepare for like eight months
for that moment, so
The US trials seem brutal.
I mean, they just are.
Like, top 200-meter girls show up
and try to make sure we got a spot.
- Is it competitive?
- Yeah.
We're individual athletes,
you want to get on the team.
Truthfully in our race,
I think everyone's really nervous,
but it's good because we'll be pushing
each other to do amazing things.
[tense music playing]
I know what I need to do at Nationals,
so watch out.
I want to be the world leader
going into World Championships.
I like having that kind of power
like over my opponents.
It's part of the game,
of being a professional.
[exciting music playing]
[exciting music intensifies]
Today's a special day.
I can't say what,
but I can tell that
something special is going to happen.
[Jackson] In front of your home crowd,
you want to put on the best performance.
[vuvuzela blares]
The energy is just different.
- Pot cova!
- [clanking]
- The atmosphere, the environment
- Whoo-hoo!
is gonna be super exciting.
[exciting music continues]
- Is it the final today?
- Most definitely.
We are going to Budapest. Right there.
- Road to Budapest.
- Yes!
[Thompson-Herah]
Trials is always intense.
We don't want to lose to each other.
Each person always wanted to be
on the top.
My main goal is to just make it to
Budapest
and then we take it from there.
[Felix] At the Jamaica
National Championships,
Elaine is competing in the 100 meters,
Shelly-Ann in the 200
and Shericka Jackson is doing both.
[exciting music continues]
Yeah, I like Shelly.
To me, Thompson.
But some who like her first,
who now come in,
Shericka Jackson. Very fast.
[commentator] Coming up is
the women's 200 meters,
and some people think this race might be
the race of the entire meet!
Shericka Jackson
and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce need that one.
[crowd cheering]
Whoo! hoo-hoo-hoo!
Evrybadi a wah movie star.
Wah wah? A movie star.
[Felix] Shelly-Ann is a fan favorite.
[exclaiming]
Because she's done it so much before.
And you can count on her
when it's a pressure situation.
No, I am not on TikTok.
As an alpha female,
mi nuh wah si
my man pan tik tok evryday deh pan
[Fraser-Pryce] Being here
with the young athletes,
I'm the oldest.
Shericka is coming up,
but she better be ready
because I have not yet reached my peak.
And that's just the truth.
- Hi it's me ♪
- Hello.
I'm gonna show the world
that motherhood doesn't stop anything.
It doesn't diminish who you are
as a person.
If anything, it enhances you,
makes you have like a super power.
There's more to give,
and I'm gonna give it.
And I'm not gonna stop until I get there.
[drums pulse]
[suspenseful music pulses]
[announcer] Ten minutes for the 200
meters senior women.
[Jackson] The relationship
between me and Shelly is good.
But once you show up on the day,
everybody is a person to beat.
I don't think anybody goes on a track
to come second or third.
- [crowd cheers]
- [electronic music crescendo]
[Jackson] Everybody wants to be a winner.
[commentator] Air of expectation
around this one.
- [commentator 1] Here is Shericka Jackson.
- [cheering]
[commentator 2] Do I need to introduce
this lady
Listen to the crowd
for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
[crowd cheering]
[Fraser-Pryce] Down the line, I'm not
thinking about who's lining up beside me.
I'm thinking about running my best race,
putting myself in the best position
to win.
[Jackson] Before I go in the blocks,
I want to visualize what I'm going to do.
[referee] On your marks!
[drum pulses]
[Jackson] After that, I'm just like,
okay then.
Deep breath and I'm ready.
[drums pulse]
[commentator 2] Stadium goes quiet.
[referee] Set!
- [starter pistol fires]
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator 2] Very good start
from Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce!
But here comes Shericka Jackson!
It's Fraser-Pryce and Jackson!
[cheering intensifies]
- [commentator 2] Shericka Jackson.
- [cheering]
Pushing, driving.
Pulling away.
[drums pulse]
- [commentator 2] Shericka Jackson!
- [cheering]
[drums crescendo]
- [commentator 2] She is the champion!
- [cheering]
Twenty-one seventy-one!
The fastest time in the world this year,
by Shericka Jackson.
[upbeat triumphant music playing]
[Jackson] I wanted to prove a point
That I am among the world leaders.
I am one of the best.
And right now
I'm in the best shape of my life.
[triumphant music crescendo]
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finished
in second.
[inspirational music playing]
[Fraser-Pryce] I made
the World Championships.
That's good.
But I'm not there to make up numbers,
I'm not there to shake your hand.
I'm there to win first.
So, of course
I'm looking forward to Budapest 2023
to defend my title again.
[crowd cheers]
[Johnson] For Shericka,
it's a huge confidence boost,
and she's just proven herself
as the fastest 200-meter runner
in the world right now.
[commentator 2] Shericka Jackson
in spectacular form.
Running twenty-one-seventy-one, Jackson.
[Johnson] At the same time as
Jamaica's championships,
you've got the US having theirs.
[drums crescendo]
[Johnson] And there is athletes watching
what's happening in the other country,
because that gives you some indication
of what you're in for
at the World Championships,
at the end of the year.
[exciting music playing]
[Boldon] When something happens
in Kingston, Jamaica,
it's reported immediately
and everybody in different locations
can look and go, "Oh!"
[commentator] The fastest time in the
world by Shericka Jackson.
Golly!
In Eugene, that world lead just set now
becomes Gabby Thomas' target.
[crowd cheers]
[exciting music pulses]
If y'all are listening to
this, I need you to understand,
we don't be hype about track and field
for no reason.
The women's 200 happening in the US,
you want to place top three at the trials
in order to make your team.
[Jasmine Todd] This is about to be insane.
- All right.
- Go!
How are we doing, guys?
We're doing a countdown.
[commentator] Let's go to
the women's 200-meter final,
everybody is talking about,
this is going to be exciting.
Gabby Thomas is in the zone,
but she's got competition.
Sha'Carri Richardson.
- [exhales deeply]
- [announcer] Five, Richardson.
[Boldon] Sha'Carri has looked different
this year.
She's been saying the right things,
I think she's been doing the right things,
she's been as focused as
I have ever seen her as an athlete.
Eight is Thomas.
[Boldon] But Gabby has
that kind of tenacity.
She smiles a lot,
but at her core,
there is a killer instinct
that I have seen come out.
- All right, ladies. You're all here.
- [cymbals double tap]
Ladies, come on up on that door.
- Good luck, ladies.
- Thank you.
[dramatic music crescendo]
[commentator] The world lead is 21.71
set just a few minutes ago by
Shericka Jackson, the world champion.
[announcer] Gabby Thomas!
[Thomas] I know that Shericka just ran
faster at the 200, at trials, so yeah.
Definitely adds pressure.
[announcer] Sha'Carri Richardson!
- [bells clang]
- [crowd cheering]
[Richardson] I have to make it count
in this moment.
You're running to represent the country.
This is what I've been working for.
[exciting music intensifies]
[Thomas] This is gonna be a battle
and that competitiveness in me
is coming out.
[referee] On your mark.
[exciting music crescendo]
[referee] Set.
- [starter pistol fires]
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator] Sha'Carri Richardson
responded to the gun amazingly.
She leads off the turn!
[commentator 1] Here's Gabby Thomas!
[exciting music continues]
Gabby Thomas is not gonna be dominated
here!
[exciting music crescendo]
21.59! That is a new world lead!
[motivational shouting]
Gabby Thomas came back with a vengeance.
That was a world-leading performance,
and she was like,
"They can't take this from us"
Hey, tall girls from Harvard winning!
Okay, tall girls from Harvard winning!
[laughing]
[inspirational music playing]
[Thomas] This is all I hoped for.
Being the world leader,
going into World Championships.
Gives you the sense of confidence.
Like, you have done the work,
you have shown everyone
what you're capable of.
[music intensifies]
That was an awesome job out there.
- So, Gabrielle's our champion right here.
- Congratulations!
I'm just happy to be able to reclaim
my title as the 200 queen!
I have an opportunity to compete for
World Championship gold,
and that's really what I wanted,
so I'm happy.
[Boldon] Sha'Carri Richardson
comes second.
Let's go!
She's guaranteed to know
people will have questions
as to whether she can deliver.
Can you go to the World Championships
in Budapest?
Can you really beat the Jamaicans?
[Richardson] It made me anxious, that 200,
because I was qualified,
but I didn't do my best.
Now I have no choice
but to run good for the 100.
Come on!
[exclaiming indistinctly]
[laughing]
The biggest thing is making the team.
[exciting music playing]
So, I decided to put on my beautiful wigs.
I knew y'alls was gonna watch.
["All Action" by Ty Frankel
& Greggory Covington playing]
Living in the moment
Looking at right now ♪
[Johnson] So, Sha'Carri won
the Olympic trials.
[commentator] Richardson's going to Tokyo!
Unbelievable performance,
but of course we all know
she didn't end up competing at Tokyo.
Sha'Carri Richardson will not compete
at the Olympic games.
[Johnson] She'll want to put that
behind her
and show that this potential
and talent we've all seen flashes of
can actually get her
onto the 100-meters US team.
[Katelyn Hutchison] Sha'Carri
has been through so much
in her track life, in her personal life.
This is the opportunity for her to really
make that dream come true.
[announcer] And on the track now
- Women's 100-meter final.
- [music crescendo]
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] The spotlight is shining
on Sha'Carri Richardson.
She's yet to make a 100 meters team
in the global championships.
[Richardson] Last time I was on the big
stadium here, I had my orange hair.
I feel like I have to shed the old
and present the new.
In lane four, Sha'Carri Richardson!
- [crowd cheers]
- Oh, wow! Look out!
She means business.
[Hutchison] Baby Sha'Carri done took
the wig off!
- She just want everybody to know
- This is serious, right?
[Todd] Back in 2021,
her hair was orange going into that trial,
so that's a big significance,
her taking that wig off
in this 100-meter final.
[hip-hop music continues]
[Richardson] Because of the pressure
of this race,
it's like, at this point,
I gotta be prepared.
Can't be too excited.
- It's just
- [music crescendo]
breathe.
Nothing else matters.
[drums pulse]
[referee] Set!
[starter pistol fires]
[commentator] Not a good start
from Sha'Carri Richardson!
Tamari Davis on her inside
is making her work for it!
[dramatic music playing]
[commentator 1] Her start betrayed her!
[commentator 2] Will she be able
to find something?
[music intensifies]
Now! Here comes Sha'Carri Richardson!
- [dance music playing]
- [cheering intensifies]
[commentator] Richardson is
the national champion!
- 10.84!
- [exclaiming]
What!
[commentator] The World Championships
are waiting for Sha'Carri!
[commentator 1] Richardson has booked
her spot
in the World Championship rounds
in Budapest.
She's come here to make a statement.
Tell everybody, and tell the Jamaican
Shericka Jackson of Kingston,
that she's gonna be
the person to beat at Worlds.
I stand here
with you again and I'm ready.
Mentally, physically and emotionally.
And I'm here to stay.
I'm not back, I'm better.
I won't say a word!
- [drums crescendo]
- [cymbals crescendo]
[dramatic music playing]
Ten minutes for the 100 meters women.
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] Everyone wants to see
a really competitive race.
Shericka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah.
What are we about to see?
[hip-hop music playing]
[Jackson] The American girls always bring
their A game,
and seeing them working hard
makes me work harder.
- But here in the stadium in Jamaica,
- [hip-hop music intensifies]
Elaine is the person to beat.
It's not gonna be easy,
so I really need to execute
and a good race as possible.
[hip-hop music fades]
Si, when yuh get it
yaafi know fi jus keep going.
[Thompson-Herah] Shericka always turns up
on the track.
[suspenseful music playing]
But I don't see anybody as a threat.
So I don't think about anybody else,
just myself.
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
it's the women's 100-meter final!
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] The big final!
Tension has gripped the national stadium.
[announcer] The two-time Olympic
sprint double gold medalist,
Elaine Thompson-Herah!
[commentator] Does she have what it takes
to get on the plane to Budapest?
[announcer] Defending national champion,
from MVP,
Shericka Jackson!
- [crowd cheers]
- [suspenseful music playing]
[announcer] We ask that you hold the
excitement until after the gun!
Mister Starter, it's over to you.
Oh, the race? Aww, shit.
Well, Elaine is going to do
what Elaine does.
No pressure.
[clock ticking]
[Thompson-Herah] You have to believe in
yourself.
It's time to show how great I am.
[drums pulse]
And I think I am the best in Jamaica
and in the world.
[referee] On your marks.
[suspenseful music continues]
[referee] Set.
[electronic heartbeat pulsing]
- [pistol echoes]
- [cheering]
[commentator] Off they go!
Very, very good start by Thompson-Herah!
[drums pulse]
Come on.
Get to work, get to work.
- [drums pulse]
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator] But here comes
Shericka Jackson!
Step forward, Shericka Jackson,
imperiously!
Shericka Jackson, pulling away!
[crowd cheers intensify]
[commentator] Shericka Jackson, 10.65!
New personal best, new world leading!
[shrieking]
- Whoa!
- [exclaiming]
[celebratory shrieking]
[celebratory exclaiming]
[rap music playing]
[commentator] What a performance
- on the big occasion!
- [vuvuzela blares]
That was magical!
[inspirational music playing]
Oh yeah, one inch!
- [crowd applauds]
- [crowd cheers]
[Jackson] Whenever I'm winning,
it just makes me happy.
A couple years ago, nobody was talking
about Shericka Jackson.
Now I am making a name for myself.
- [whooping]
- [cheering]
[shrieking]
It's a good feeling to be among the best
and I'm right there.
[indistinct singing]
This is huge. This is huge.
[Paul Francis] Shericka Jackson is an
amazing athlete and person.
We, as a team,
have been super proud of her.
[inspirational music continues]
[Stephen Francis] Shericka is looking a
lot better than last year.
And at the World Championships,
I am expecting her to do extremely well.
Memba mi tell yuh seh nuh spot nuh
pudung fi nuhbody, yaafi cum run fi it.
[commentator] Elaine Thompson-Herah,
just fifth.
[commentator 1] Elaine failed to meet
the individual team
to the World Championships.
[announcer] Shericka Jackson!
[Thompson-Herah] Track and field is
a give and take.
You win some, you lose some.
[inspirational music continues]
[Thompson-Herah] No athlete in this world
wants to lose a race,
but my loss has helped me to be better.
You learn from that.
You don't get to be the Olympic champion
and not being able to overcome stuff.
You gotta overcome stuff.
Such is life.
[clock ticking]
For me it's all about being the best.
I know it's gonna be fire,
and better things to come.
[clock ticking continues]
Next year,
my focus is just to stay healthy
and just to be back on the top.
["Yuh Know" by Usain Bolt & NJ playing]
We life alright we nuh pree that ♪
Pree that ♪
Generational wealth yeah we need that ♪
Bombaat wi a gah wurl champions,
yuh know e somn bout eh eh eh!
[Johnson] I think that Shericka sees this
year as, "Absolutely, this is my year."
Oh, God.
[Johnson] "This is my opportunity,
my time."
All right, we have, what, three weeks?
[Johnson] She won the double in Jamaica.
Next stop, World Championships.
[announcer] And national champion.
[Johnson] For sure Shericka's gonna be
in the conversation
with Sha'Carri and Gabby.
She will want to be world champion
at 100 meters and 200 meters.
We will see!
[announcer] Congratulations, ladies.
[Jackson] Heading into Budapest,
I'm super hungry.
It's a battlefield, you know?
When I go there, I'm bringing my A game.
It's business time and I'm ready.
[dramatic music crescendo]
[commentator] Welcome to the Hungarian
capital, bedazzling us.
[Richardson] Going into
my first World Championships.
Feeling the pressure
from so many different directions.
[man] You were nervous.
You didn't have a great time.
Well, thank you for mentioning that.
[pistol fires]
[man] You have to have
the mindset of a god
to think every time
that you're gonna win the race.
[commentator] What a night in Budapest!
Please, stop!
Noah? He hurt?
[car crashing]
[man] You got the skill,
you got the desire.
We taking everything we want.
["At the Top" by Knives at Sea playing]
I'mma take it back
Take it back to the base ♪
I'm the one they want
Yeah got it at the basement ♪
Now I'm sky high
When I pull up in the spaceship ♪
Face it
Rap's on the [indistinct] ♪
They didn't see me coming
Trouping on the [indistinct] base ♪
Summer now I'm startin' ♪
I ain't never comin' down
I'm on a summit ♪
I'm not coming down ♪
Subtitle creation by: Lesley Taylor