• Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah wins the women's 200m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
    Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah wins the women's 200m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
  • Gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's 200m.
    Gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's 200m.
  • From right: USA's Gabrielle Thomas, Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Namibia's Christine Mboma, Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou, Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, Namibia's Beatrice Masilingi and Bahamas's Shaunae Miller-Uibo compete in the women's 200m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
    From right: USA's Gabrielle Thomas, Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Namibia's Christine Mboma, Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou, Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, Namibia's Beatrice Masilingi and Bahamas's Shaunae Miller-Uibo compete in the women's 200m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
  • Gold medallist Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah.
    Gold medallist Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah.
  • Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, centre, wins the women's 200m final.
    Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, centre, wins the women's 200m final.
  • Gold medallist Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, centre.
    Gold medallist Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, centre.
  • Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah crosses the finish line to win the women's 200m final.
    Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah crosses the finish line to win the women's 200m final.
  • Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates after wining the women's 200m final.
    Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates after wining the women's 200m final.
  • Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates with the flag of Jamaica after winning the women's 200m final.
    Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates with the flag of Jamaica after winning the women's 200m final.
  • Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah competes to win the women's 200m final.
    Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah competes to win the women's 200m final.

Instagram backtracks after blocking Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah


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Jamaican sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah prompted a rare climbdown from social media giant Facebook after being banned for posting footage of her own victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

Thompson-Herah put up video on the Facebook-owned platform Instagram showing her win in the 200m on Tuesday, when she completed an unprecedented women's "double-double" in the 100m and 200m at the Rio and Tokyo Games.

Justifiably proud of her achievements, Thompson-Herah later revealed she had been temporarily suspended because of rights issues.

"I was blocked on Instagram for posting the races of the Olympics because I did not own the right to do so. So see y'all in 2 days," she tweeted.

The action prompted disbelief among the runner's followers on social media, with many questioning the logic of preventing an athlete sharing her own moment of glory.

However, the footage reappeared on Instagram a few hours later.

The International Olympic Committee is militant about its broadcasting rights, which generate billions of dollars for the organisation from global TV networks.

The IOC's social media guidelines say athletes "are encouraged to share their experiences with their friends, family and supporters via social and digital media".

Updated: August 05, 2021, 5:57 AM