Florida’s Aaliyah Butler clocked 50.44 seconds to smoothly advance to the semi-finals of the women’s 400m on Day 1 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, today. Former Texas A&M University standout and 400m hurdles specialist Shamier Little, qualified with the fast time of the day.
The Fort Lauderdale resident dominated the field to secure the victory in heat three. Speaking after her win, Butler, who recently competed on this same track at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the University of Georgia, expressed her disappointment at not making the final at the collegiate nationals.
Read more: Day 1: 2024 U.S. Olympic track and field trials schedule, live stream, results
She is determined to make her first Olympic team.
The Miami Northwestern High School graduate, now a sophomore at Georgia, comfortably defeated Penn’s Isabella Whittaker, who finished strong to take second place in the heat on Friday with a time of 51.18.
Experienced athletes Kendall Ellis and Na’Asha Robinson also advanced to the semis with respective times of 51.22 and 51.30, finishing third and fourth.
Butler owns a personal best time of 49.79 seconds for the 400m, set when finishing fourth at the 2024 Southeastern Conference Championships in May. Her time at the championships is also a new Georgia school record.
Overall, Butler’s 50.44 seconds is the second-fastest time in the heats of the women’s 400m on Day 1 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, behind Shamier Little, who qualified with the fastest time of 50.13 seconds.
The semi-finals of the event are scheduled for Saturday at 10:15 p.m. ET.
With her strong performance, Aaliyah Butler is well-positioned to continue her quest for Olympic glory as the trials progress.