The spotlight shone on medal contenders Gabby Thomas, Grant Holloway, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as they made their debut at the Paris Olympics on Sunday morning. Less than 24 hours after claiming gold medals in the evening session, Julien Alfred and Femke Bol were also back on the track. However, not all athletes had a successful day, as two-time World Champion Shericka Jackson scratched from the Women’s 200m, marking her second withdrawal of the week.
In a surprising turn, Jackson opted out of the highly anticipated women’s 200m as the Round 1 heats began. Jackson, favored to win if fit, is the two-time reigning World Champion in the event. Earlier in the week, she withdrew from the Women’s 100m due to a hamstring cramp sustained during her last competition at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix.
Despite Jackson’s unexpected absence, the other top contenders progressed easily. Julien Alfred, fresh from her gold medal victory in the women’s 100m, won Heat 1 in a time of 22.41, even after just two hours of sleep. Gabby Thomas, who earned bronze in Tokyo 2020, triumphed in Heat 2 with a time of 22.20. NCAA champion McKenzie Long marked her Olympic debut with a win in Heat 4 at 22.95, and Brittany Brown secured her spot in the Semi-Final by taking Heat 5 in 22.38.
In a competitive Heat 6, Nigeria’s Favour Ofili edged out Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, finishing with a season-best time of 22.24 to Asher-Smith’s 22.28.
One of the most highly anticipated events, the Women’s 400m Hurdles, also commenced on Sunday. Expected to meet in the finals are American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol from the Netherlands, both of whom progressed smoothly in their heats alongside American athletes Jasmine Jones and Anna Cockrell. Jones, the second-fastest collegiate hurdler ever, won Heat 2 in 53.60, while Cockrell dominated Heat 4 with a time of 53.91. Bol, showing impressive form, won her heat in 51.38, and McLaughlin-Levrone cruised through the first round with a time of 53.60.
In the Men’s 110m Hurdles First Round, Freddie Crittenden took a cautious approach, describing his performance as a “strategic” use of the Repechage Round after feeling a slight pre-race tweak. He opted to focus on recovery rather than risk further injury. Crittenden indicated that he plans to give a full effort in his next round. Daniel Roberts also advanced despite a slow start, while Grant Holloway demonstrated his dominance by clocking the fastest qualifying time of 13.01.
However, it was a disappointing morning for the U.S. Men’s Long Jump team, as all three athletes—Jarrion Lawson, Jeremiah Davis, and Malcolm Clemons—failed to reach the Final. Lawson could not secure a mark despite his experience, while Davis and Clemons, competing at their first global championship, will take away valuable lessons from the experience. Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou led the pack with the best jump of the day at 8.32.