Marie-Josee Ta Lou produced one of the fastest women's 100 metres in Olympic Games history as the sprint heats showcased a string of stunning displays on day one of the athletics.
The 32-year-old from Ivory Coast posted a personal best of 10.78 seconds, the joint fourth quickest legal 100m ever seen at the Games, excluding those that have exceeded wind assistance limits or been wiped from the record books because of doping.
Two-time World Championship silver medallist Ta Lou delivered her standout display in the fourth heat and said: "Surprise, surprise. I'm in shock actually. I know I'm ready. I will be re-focusing on my run because I really didn't expect to run as fast as I just did. And 10.78, it's great."
Asked whether advancing spike technology had helped, Ta Lou said: "No, I don't think so because I feel the same way when I wear other shoes. This one was not making me run really fast. It's only the colours."
She was joined in producing an early statement of intent by Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah – the defending champion – with the women's 100m shaping up to be more tantalising a race than the men's equivalent.
Fraser-Pryce is the fastest woman in the world this year, having run a 10.63 in June – the quickest legal 100m since Florence Griffith-Joyner's still-startling 1988 hot streak.
The 34-year-old ran 10.84 to win heat five, and when asked if there was rivalry in the Jamaican ranks she said: "Oh, there's rivalry with everybody. All female athletes are showing up and you're competing so I don't focus on just one individual.
"If you notice the heat, that's some really quick running, so you just have to make sure that you're ready. And I think it's good for females sprinting. It's long overdue and I'm hoping that it definitely is up to the expectation."
Thompson-Herah did the 100m and 200m sprint double in Rio five years ago and is chasing more gold medal success in Japan, with her first outing showing she is in great shape to contend, the 28-year-old closing 10.82 in the second heat.
"These are some of the quickest fields in the history of the event," she said.
Britain's Dina Asher-Smith was a comfortable second in the first heat, clocking 11.07 as Teahna Daniels crossed first in 11.04, and was asked whether this might be a fast track.
"I think so, but I really wasn't thinking about things like that. It might be," Asher-Smith said. "But today was just about making it through to the next round safely at the same time as knowing I've got another level to give tomorrow. And I do have another level, of course I do. It's an Olympics."
Jackson to compete in 200m at star-studded Oslo Diamond League on May 30
Two-time World 200m champion Shericka Jackson will make her second appearance of the season when she takes part in the 200m at the Oslo Diamond League in Norway on May 30.
Jackson got her season off to a winning start with a 200m victory in Marrakech in 22.82 to maintain a winning streak of 16 finals that dates back to June 2022.
Having won Diamond Trophies in both the 100m and 200m last year, she’ll look to build on that opener in Oslo, where she will face USA’s Jenna Prandini, Anavia Battle and Brittany Brown, plus Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith and Daryll Neita, who won the 200m in Suzhou and 100m in Doha.
Dominican Republic’s world champion Marileidy Paulino will race against world bronze medallist Sada Williams and world indoor silver medallist Lieke Klaver in the 400m, while the men’s event features Grenada’s multiple Olympic and world medallist Kirani James, world silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith and home favourite Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen.
Jamaica’s world bronze medallist Rushell Clayton leads the entries for the women’s 400m hurdles.
The men’s event will a treat for the fans as the three-time world champion Karsten Warholm contests the 400m hurdles for the first time since finishing second in the Diamond League final in Eugene in September.
He’s got some fierce competition as he faces Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, the world and Diamond League champion in 2022, who opened his own 400m hurdles season with a 46.86 win in Doha. Looking to challenge them both will be world silver medallist Kyron McMaster.
After setting a world record of 74.35m in Ramona in April, Mykolas Alekna won the discus clash in Marrakech, surpassing 70 metres again with a 70.70m throw to beat Australian record-holder Matthew Denny and Sweden’s Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl.
That trio clash again in Oslo as part of a stacked field – one which also includes 2022 world gold medallist Kristjan Ceh, Andrius Gudzius, Fedrick Dacres and Lukas Weisshaidinger.
Gardiner produces season’s best 44.39 to win at Ostrava Golden Spike; Forde, Hudson and Peters produce top three finishes
Bahamian Olympic champion Steven Gardiner produced his best run of the season to hold off a fast finishing Alexander Doom and take top spot in the 400m at the 63rd Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Gardiner’s time of 44.39 was just ahead of the Belgian’s personal best 44.44 in second. Reigning Jamaican national champion Sean Bailey was third in a season’s best 44.93.
Jamaican 2023 World Championship finalists Ryiem Forde and Andrew Hudson finished second in the 100m and 200m, respectively.
Forde’s time in second was 10.17 while Hudson ran 20.56. Both races were won by Canadian Olympic champion Andre De Grasse. He ran 10.10 in the 100m before returning to the track to run a season’s best 20.09 in the 200m.
Olympic champion Lamont Jacobs ran 10.19 for third in the 100m while Great Britain's Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran 20.63 for third in the 200m.
In the field, two-time World champion Anderson Peters was third in the javelin.
The Grenadian battled windy conditions to produce a best throw of 78.60m, far behind Germany’s Julian Weber and the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch who produced 87.26m and 86.06m for first and second, respectively.
Broadbell ready for season opener at Racers Grand Prix
One of Jamaica's premier hurdlers, Rasheed Broadbell, is set to electrify the track once again as he competes on home soil at the highly anticipated Racers Grand Prix scheduled for Saturday.
Broadbell, whose exceptional performances have made waves on the international stage, is returning with renewed vigour and determination following his spectacular victory at the Commonwealth Games. That triumph at the Commonwealth Games marked a significant milestone in his career, as the gold medal in the 110m hurdles not only demonstrated his exceptional talent, but also cemented his status as one of the leading hurdlers in the world.
That victory fuelled his ambitions and set the stage for a promising season ahead. Broadbell revealed that he has been undergoing an intensive training regimen in preparation for his season opener at the Racers Grand Prix.
“Every year my season opener surprises me. I may not know what to expect. It's the first race of the season and the first race since I fell at the world championships so for me I’m just trying to get in race rhythm and execute what I have been practising at training. Preparations have been going great and I pray it remains that way," he said.
The 23-year-old, who is no doubt targeting a spot on Jamaica's team to this summer's Paris Olympic Games, will be up against compatriot and reigning Olympic champion Hansle Parchment, as well as American standout Trey Cunningham and rising star Tyler Mason in what is expected to be one of a several explosive events at the National Stadium.
“It has been a roller coaster journey thus far; grateful for every part of it, most of all I just give God the thanks for bringing me through every bit of it," Broadbell shared.
“My preparation for the Grand Prix is just a part of the bigger preparation which is the Olympics and to get myself into race shape for the upcoming Olympic trials also my mindset towards this competition is to just get out there, execute, finish healthy and give some excitement to the home crowd," he added.
As Broadbell gears up for the Racers Grand Prix, the nation is eager to witness one of their own in action. Broadbell's presence at the Racers Grand Prix promises to be among the highlights of the night, as he is poised to deliver unforgettable moments and inspire the next generation of Jamaican hurdlers.
The event is set to begin at 6:00pm.
Tickets are available for purchase online at racersgrandprix.com and mysticonlinetix.com, while physical tickets are available at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
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