Julien Alfred breezed through her first heat in the 200 meters the morning after winning the Olympic 100 meters.
Alfred, who felt tired, ran a time of 22.41 seconds to make it to the semifinals. Gabby Thomas of the U.S., who won bronze in Tokyo, had the fastest time in the first round with 22.20 seconds.
A surprise came when Shericka Jackson, the reigning world champion and the second-fastest woman ever in the 200 meters, withdrew from the race without giving a reason. She had also pulled out of the 100 meters earlier due to a leg injury from a tune-up race last month.
Following her 100-meter win, 23-year-old Alfred aims to repeat the success of Elaine Thompson-Herah from Jamaica, who won both the 100 and 200 meters in the last two Olympics. Alfred’s goal for Sunday was to get through her heat comfortably.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic champion and world-record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, clipped the sixth hurdle but still won her heat easily. She will face strong competition from Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who anchored her team to gold in the 4×400 mixed relay.
Grant Holloway also advanced smoothly in the 110 hurdles, aiming for his first Olympic gold after three consecutive world titles. He was a runner-up in Tokyo.
Freddie Crittenden, Holloway’s teammate, took a cautious approach due to a minor tweak from training. He finished his heat in 18.27 seconds, well behind his season-best, and will try to advance through the repechage round.
