"This is how you lend your celebrity in the sport"- Fans react as Kishane Thompson motivates runners in Special Olympics Race

Kishane Thompson is shining both on and off the track. Despite withdrawing from his 100m race earlier, the Jamaican was spotted motivating specially abled runners in the Special Olympics race at Meeting Ligamo. His gesture has touched fans across the internet, hailing him as a true champion.

Though Thompson has been in the track and field for a couple of years now, he rose to the limelight at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in June. The 22-year-old clocked a massive personal best of 9.77s to qualify for the Paris Olympics. It marked the fastest time by any athlete in 2024, and 2023 as well.

Later, Thompson competed at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial, and though he only clocked 9.91s for the win, it was the way he ran that time that caught the world's attention. The Jamaican was jogging in the last part of the race as if he were competing in a junior race.

Kishane Thompson jogged again today but in a Special Olympics race at the Meeting Ligano, which again caught the world's attention.

"This is how you lend your celebrity in the sport," a fan wrote.

"Future Olympic Champion right there," another fan wrote.

"This is wholesome," a user commented.

There were several others who joined in to hail Thompson, with some even calling him the next Usain Bolt.

"Jamaica, dare I say we're creating another Bolt?," a fan wrote.

"Our next sprint king," another fan commented.

"The one in number 1 was moooving. Kishane’s a better man than me because I would chase him down," a user commented.

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“He probably would have run 9.6”- Coach Stephen Francis on Kishane Thompson

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Stephen Francis is one of the most successful sprinting coaches in the world, having worked with Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Elaine Thompson-Herah. After Kishane Thompson ran 9.77s at the Olympic Trials, Francis claimed the 22-year-old could have touched the 9.60 mark if he had maintained his 40-60m speed through to the finish line.

""Based on what I saw him do in the final, I think if he maintained that speed that he had between 40m and 60m, he probably would have run 9.6 or 9.70," he said.

Such words coming from one of the greatest coaches of all time only verify the hype Kishane Thompson has generated in the last few weeks. Although Francis added that the focus at the moment was winning the Olympic medal, it wouldn't be surprising if he did get near the mark at the Paris Olympics 2024 given the competition in the 100m.