Gina Luckenkemper in the 100m IAAF World Championships London 2017 (© Getty Images)
If, before the competition, the crowd inside the London Stadium had been asked to guess who would be the fastest qualifier from the women’s 100m first round, not many would have opted for Germany’s Gina Luckenkemper.
Yet the German champion sped to a personal best of 10.95 in the first heat, looking relaxed and controlled until an astonished look broke out on her face after seeing the time on the stadium clock.
With a best of 11.01 set in Erfurt on 8 July, the 20-year-old would have expected to progress to tomorrow’s semifinal, but might not have expected her first ever sub-11-second clocking so early in the championships.
“It was amazing and I am absolutely speechless after that race,” she explained. “It was a dream to run sub 11 inside this stadium at these championships. This just feels so, so good.
“The atmosphere in this stadium is unreal. The crowd were cheering on everyone which is so special for us. We don't always get this in all stadiums. It really pushed me to go pretty fast.”
The weather potentially played a small role in some of the other times that were recorded across the six races. Following Luckenkemper’s win, where she relegated Murielle Ahoure to second place, rain began to fall, rendering the track wet in places, particularly the inside lanes.
Elaine Thompson, the Olympic champion over 100m and 200m, occupied one of those lanes in the second heat, although the conditions didn’t seem to bother her too much.
She raced out of the blocks and could afford to ease back in the final 20 metres such was her lead over Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel, who finished second in a personal best of 11.14. Thompson will expect to run a lot quicker than the 11.05 that she recorded in the wet.
Torie Bowie, the US champion and Olympic silver medallist, produced an almost identical performance in the third heat, matching Thompson’s time and looking equally relaxed. Multiple world finalist Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria placed second in 11.22 as the rain fell.
Two of the medal contenders went head to head in heat four, where Marie-Josee Ta Lou edged out the Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers, clocking 11.00, the second fastest time of the day, ahead of the world 200m champion’s 11.08.
Schippers appeared to be holding back a little, no doubt conserving energy for the challenges to come later in the week.
Tatjana Pinto was, perhaps, the main casualty of the first round, stumbling out of the blocks to false start in the fifth heat. With a windy 10.96 clocking back in May, the German was a favourite to make at least the semifinals, but the race instead went to Brazil’s Rosangela Santos, who recorded a personal best-equalling 11.04 ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye.
Ahye, who has a best of 10.82 in 2017, ran 11.14 but looked a little ragged.
By the time the final heat started, the sun had begun to shine again and the track had dried a little. With all eyes on Kelly-Ann Baptiste, twice a world bronze medallist, it was instead, to the roaring approval of the spectators, Darryl Neita who sped to victory in 11.15.
The Olympic 4x100m bronze medallist described herself in an infield interview as “on fire”.
On to tomorrow’s semifinals, where more heat can be expected.
Dean Hardman for the IAAF
