Antigua and Barbuda sprinter Joella Lloyd leads the list of entrants who will compete in the Preliminary Round of the women’s 100 meters on Day One at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The early round of the women’s 100m will take place at the Olympic Stadium on Thursday night (USA time) – which is Friday morning local time in Tokyo.
Lloyd, who represented the University of Tennessee this past season, enters the preliminary round of the women’s 100m with the fastest time after clocking a personal best of 11.19 seconds earlier this season to break the Lady Vol freshman record. The time is also a national record for Antigua and Barbuda. She received a Universality (wildcard) from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete despite narrowly missing the Games qualifying standard of 11.15s.
READ MORE: Day 1: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games start lists, schedule, how to watch live
The 18-year-old will start from lane nine in heat three of the event where she will take on the likes of Indonesian sprinter Alvin Tehupeiory and Mazoon Al-Alawi of Oman who both have personal bests under the 12 seconds barrier.
There are three preliminary round heats assembled for the women’s 100m with the first 3 finishers in each heat, plus the next fastest runner advancing to round one of the event later in the morning session.
Former Ohio State sprinter Margaret Barrie will also race in the women’s 100m preliminary round when she lines up in the first heat, representing Sierra Leone. Barrie comes in with a personal best of 11.40s and has a seasonal best of 11.76s. Like Lloyd, she is expected to progress easily from the early round.
Heat two of the women’s 100m preliminary round will see Iranian sprinter Farzaneh Fasihi leading the way along with Mudhawi Alshammari of Kuwait who is in her best form this season, as well as Regine Tugade-Watson of Guam.
READ MORE Toyko 2020 Olympic Games full track and field schedule and times
The preliminary round heats at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will start at 8:00 pm ET on July 29. Those advancing will join the likes of Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shericka Jackson, Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, Ivory Coast Marie Josee Ta Lou and Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria in the first round heats.
