Two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce records the fastest ever women’s 100m heat time in world champs history with a time of 10.80 to win the first heats of the women’s 100m.
The 32-year-old Jamaican, only returned to the track in last year after giving birth to a son. She holds the season’s best time together with fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson. Fraser-Pryce finished ahead of Murielle Ahoure, the 2018 world indoor champion, who recorded a season’s best 11.05.
Thompson finished marginally ahead of Fraser-Pryce as they both clocked that 10.73 timing in Kingston on 21 June and joins her teammate in the semi-finals. Thompson, the reigning 100m and 200m Olympic champion, eased into the next round with a much slower time of 11.14. The 27-year-old finished ahead of Kelly Ann Baptiste of the Trinidad and Tobago in Heat 3.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, a silver medalist in London two years ago, clinched her place in the semi-finals with a personal best of 10.85 in wining Heat 2.
With British runner Dina Asher-Smith also winning Heat 4 in an equally commanding fashion, the race for the women’s 100m crown is going to be rather intriguing. The reigning European sprint champion, clocked 10.96 to push American English Gardner (11.20) to second spot in her Heats.
Defending champion Tori Bowie also squeezed into the semi-finals, finishing third behind Swiss Mujinga Kambundji (11.17) and China’s Liang Xiaojing (11.18). Bowie, who has personals best of 10.78, only managed a 10.30 run in Heat 5.
Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, who was expected to be among the qualifiers, did not start at all.
Defending world 200m champion Dafne Schippers of Holland is also through with a 11.17 time that saw he edging past American Teahna Daniels in the final Heat.
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