Thompson-Herah broke a new Olympic record, 10.61, a hundred times faster than former record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner's race in Seoul in 1988 and the second fastest time ever.
Only the aforementioned Flo-Jo has run faster, with a time of 10.49.
- I am very happy to be able to come back and defend my title.
My chest aches, I'm so happy, says Thompson-Herah according to AFP.
Behind Thompson, her countrymen sprinted into silver and bronze.
Two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce clinched the silver at 10.74 while Shericka Jackson's 10.76 was enough for the bronze.
The women's 100-meter final was very open in advance, and in addition to the Jamaican shoes, many believed in Marie-Josee Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast, but she had to settle for a meager fourth place, 15 hundredths of the bronze.