English Gardner, now 33 years old, is still very fast.
Gardner, the Olympic gold medalist from Eastern High School, easily advanced to the semifinals in the 100-meter dash Thursday at the USATF National Championships at Heyward Field in Eugene.
Gardner ran 11.12 and placed 3rd in the 3rd of four heats. The top six in each heat plus the next three-fastest times advanced to the semifinals. Gardner ran 11.04 earlier this year, her fastest time in seven years.
It’s her fastest time in the first round of U.S. Nationals since 2017, when she opened with an 11.04 in Sacramento. It’s her fastest time in any round at nationals since 2021, when she ran 10.96 in the semis.
The third semi was run into a 1.5 meters-per-second headwind. All three other races were aided by a tailwind. Her 11.12 into a 1.5 headwind is the equivalent of an 11.00 with no wind or a 10.88 with the maximum allowable 2.0 wind.
The semifinals are scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Friday.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 