Elaine Thompson-Herah, the Olympic sprinting powerhouse with five gold medals to her name, remains the fastest woman alive over 100 meters. Her time of 10.54 seconds, recorded in 2021, is second only to Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 1988 world record. Despite her storied career and dominance on the track, the Jamaican sprinter has been notably absent from the spotlight in recent months. That silence, as it turns out, masks a growing conflict with the coach credited for reviving her 2023 season.

The professional split between Thompson-Herah and coach Shanikie Osbourne, which came to light through an official statement, appears rooted in failed contract negotiations. According to Andi Sports Management, the team representing Thompson-Herah, talks collapsed after Osbourne demanded a compensation package they considered excessive and inflexible. “The professional separation came about due to a breakdown in negotiations on a compensation package for the services that would be provided by Coach Osbourne,” the statement read. “The package proposed by the former coach, 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.” However, it was only after this statement, that Osborne decided to speak out.

Osbourne responded publicly, disputing the agent’s claims. “What Marvin (Andi Sports Management) put out saying we gave them no room to negotiate is a big lie!” she said in an interview with SportsMax TV. Osbourne explained that the trouble began when Thompson-Herah’s husband, Derron Herah, sent her what she called a “garbage contract.” She declined to sign and later received messages and voice notes from Thompson-Herah herself, asking to talk. They eventually met in person, where Osbourne brought up her request to be paid 15% of Thompson-Herah’s earnings.

According to Osbourne, Thompson-Herah did not object to the proposed figure during their meeting. Osbourne stated that since Thompson-Herah agreed, she confirmed that her demand for the 15% pay was sanctioned. However, as per Ousborne, the tone shifted just over a week later. Derron Herah contacted her again, this time rejecting the idea of a percentage-based arrangement and requesting a specific numerical figure. Osbourne, by then frustrated with the back-and-forth, walked away from the discussion. Meanwhile, a day after Osbourne’s public remarks, Derron Herah gave his own account of the fiasco. He stated that the figure Osbourne’s team was asking for amounted to approximately JMD $100,000,000, or just under USD $1 million!

Before the fallout, Osbourne had been instrumental in reviving Thompson-Herah’s form after a disappointing performance at Jamaica’s national championships. Brought in last July, Osbourne quickly oversaw a turnaround. Under her guidance, Thompson-Herah improved consistently, running times of 11.00, 10.92, 10.84, and 10.79 seconds to finish third at the Diamond League final in Eugene. The success appeared to mark a strong new chapter for the athlete, but the arrangement remained informal through the season’s close.

By late September, discussions about formalizing the partnership began, but the situation deteriorated soon after. Osbourne, in her remarks, made it clear she believed the athlete herself was willing to move forward. Until her husband intervened. The fallout, though professional in nature, reveals the fragility of athlete-coach relationships when business terms are not clearly defined from the outset. For now, Thompson-Herah is again without a coach, with her track and field comeback in significant jeopardy.

Elaine Thompson-Herah’s only shot at Worlds is a relay—and even that’s uncertain

In the unforgiving calculus of elite sprinting, timing is often everything. For Elaine Thompson-Herah, whose absence from the Jamaican National Championships rendered her ineligible for individual events at the upcoming World Championships, the path forward has narrowed significantly. Despite returning to training in the United States after a difficult Achilles injury, she finds herself on the periphery of an unforgiving selection process that favors readiness over reputation. The best-case scenario now hinges on a relay berth, a place contingent not only on her form but also on selectors’ discretion and the current depth of Jamaica’s sprint talent.

Thompson-Herah’s absence at Trials, the country’s only qualification gateway for individual entries, was non-negotiable in its consequence. Regardless of her five Olympic golds or her historic double-double, Jamaican team policy has remained inflexible. Even a sprinter of her stature cannot circumvent the structural requirements. The only remaining possibility lies in the relay pool, provided she meets the federation’s standards and convinces coaches she can contribute meaningfully. It is a steep climb from a season opener of 11.48 seconds to international relay readiness, and the clock is not in her favor.

Still, Thompson-Herah has chosen not to retreat. In her own words: “I will continue keeping my faith and belief because I know I have a lot more in me… every season there’s some bumps in the road.” That assertion, while quietly resolute, faces its sternest test yet. With the sprint hierarchy evolving and younger challengers advancing, her opportunity to influence the 2025 campaign rests not in medals, but in whether selectors believe she can anchor a team one more time.