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Without an iota of doubt, Kishane Thompson will be among the favorites for the gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing. But considering his injury history, it becomes patent to ask – Has coach Stephen Francis make the right decision?

Following Kishane Thompson‘s brilliant start to the 2025 indoor season, reports in Jamaica circulated that coach Stephen Francis had certified the talented speedster to compete at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, scheduled for March 21 to 23.

Thompson burst onto the scene last season with a number of eye-catching performances, including a personal best of 9.77s to win his maiden Jamaican 100m title last June, and capped off his outstanding year by claiming the Olympic 100m silver medal behind Noah Lyles in Paris.

Not resting on his oars, the sprint star kicked off his 2025 season with a massive statement by clocking the fifth-fastest 60m time in Jamaican history, running a brilliant personal best of 6.48s (-2.1m/s) at the Central Hurdles, Relays, and Field Events Meet in Kingston.

A week later, on January 25th, he competed in his first indoor race on European soil at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Astana, where he powered to an impressive win in 6.56 seconds.

Since then, the 23-year-old has not competed in any indoor race, so it came as a surprise to many Jamaicans and track fans when news broke that his coach, Stephen Francis, had approved the speedster to compete at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.

Without an iota of doubt, Thompson will be among the favorites for a medal. But considering his injury history, it becomes patent to ask – Has coach Francis make the right decision?

Examining why coach Stephen Francis made the right decision

There are always debates about whether running the 60m benefits or hinders a sprinter’s outdoor season. However, recent results from past performers suggest it can be beneficial in the long run.

For context, Olympic 100m champions Lyles and Julien Alfred, competed at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham last year, before having iconic seasons that climaxed in Paris.

Not only does winning at the World Indoors add to an athlete’s medal collection, but it also builds a certain level of experience and confidence at a major championship.

Coach Francis and Thomspon would have thought of this, considering he only lost to Lyles by a whisker of faster reaction despite both clocking the same time of 9.79s. The Jamaican will later confess he was overwhelmed by his inexperience and the pressure of the big stage, which led to his narrow loss.

Consequently, competing in China will garner more experience for him on a global stage ahead of the outdoor season, with the ultimate goal of facing Lyles’ challenge again for the 100m gold at the Tokyo World Championships in August.

Secondly, Thompson will have the opportunity to win his first world championships gold medal, which will be a huge confidence booster ahead of transitioning seamlessly to another possible dominant outdoor season.

Kishane Thompson gunning for Jamaican History

Another moment of history will be Thompson chasing to become Jamaica’s first men’s 60m gold medallist after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown achieved the feat in the women’s category.

Asafa Powell with a silver medal behind Trayvon Bromell in 2016, and Akeem Blake’s bronze behind Christian Coleman and Lyles in 2024, have been Jamaica’s only male medallists in the event.

With Thompson competing, expectations are high on him to deliver in the absence of his American rivals. Barring unforeseen circumstances like being struck with an injury, he has a good chance of writing his name in the history books.

So yes, considering the cards in play, coach Francis made the right smart and strategic move entering his talent for the world indoors as there are more gains than losses awaiting the track star in the long run.