She’ll line up next to another South Jersey native and a few feet away from another of New Jersey’s greatest sprinters of all time.
It’s the start of English Gardner’s quest to become an Olympian.
Gardner, a graduate of Eastern High School, will be in lane six for the first of five heats of the 100-meter dash at the 2016 Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, on Saturday afternoon. The first round goes off at 6:33 p.m. EST, with the semis and finals tomorrow.
Here are the heat sheets for all of Saturday’s events: http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/6e/6e8e01bc-9098-4b29-93e5-e543d69b9a14.pdf
To follow along live, click here: http://trialsresults.usatf.org
Gardner, ranked fourth in the world, reached the 100-meter dash final four years ago while competing for the University of Oregon and placed seventh in 11.28 after an 11.27 in the trials and an 11.10 in the semifinals.
But she is a consistent sub-11 sprinter these days and ran within 2-100ths of her PR of 10.79 earlier this spring.
The only runner in the field seeded higher than Gardner is Tori Bowie, who has run 1-100th of a second faster this year at 10.80.
Gardner is No. 15 in world history with her 10.79 in 2015 on the same Hayward Field track she’ll race on this week. Of the 14 who have run faster than Gardner, seven have had at least one positive test for a banned substance.
There will be five 100-meter dash races in the trials, with 21 women advancing to the semifinals – the top three in each heat and the next six-fastest.
Gardner’s heat, the first of five, also features Miki Barber of Montclair, who like Gardner is a former New Jersey Meet of Champions winner, and Williamstown native Gabrielle Farquharson, who qualified for the Trials in three events. Barber will be in lane 4, with Farquharson next to Gardner in lane 6.
Here is a list of every wind-legal sub-11 performance in U.S. Olympic Trials history:
10.49 Florence Griffith-Joyner, 1988 [q]
10.61 Griffith-Joyner, 1988 [1]
10.70 Griffith-Joyner, 1988 [s]
10.78 Torri Edwards, 2008 [s]
10.81 Evelyn Ashford, 1988 [2]
10.82 Gwen Torrence, 1996 [1]
10.83 Sheila Echols, 1988 [q]
10.85 Ashford, 1988 [s]
10.85 Muna Lee, 2008 [1]
10.88 Diane Williams, 1988 [q]
10.88 Marion Jones, 2000 [1]
10.90 Edwards, 2008 [2]
10.90 Lauryn Williams, 2008 [3]
10.91 Torrence, 1988 [3]
10.91 Gail Devers, 1996 [2]
10.92 Alice Brown, 1988 [q]
10.92 D’Andre Hill, 1996 [3]
10.92 Carmelita Jeter, 2012 [1]
10.93 Marshevet Hooker, 2008 [4]
10.96 Chryste Gaines, 1996 [q]
10.96 Inger Miller, 1996 [4]
10.96 Allyson Felix, 2008 [5]
10.96 Tianna Madison, 2012 [2]
10.96 Madison, 2012 [s]
10.97 Jeter, 2008 [s]
10.97 Michelle Lewis, 2008 [s]
10.97 Latasha Colander, 2004 [1]
As you can see, 14 of the 25-fastest times in Trials history came from the 1988 meet in Indianapolis and the 1996 meet in Atlanta, both during the height of suspected drug use.
Athletes who were subject to IAAF suspensions are listed here if their marks did not occur during the period of their suspension, as per IAAF policy.
Here is a list of all the U.S. Olympic Trials 100-meter dash winners:
2012 Carmelita Jeter, 10.92
2008 Muna Lee, 10.85
2004 LaTasha Colander, 10.97
2000 Marion Jones, 10.88
1996 Gwen Torrence, 10.82
1992 Gwen Torrence, 10.97
1988 Florence Griffith-Joyner, 10.61
1984 Evelyn Ashford, 11.18
1980 Alice Brown, 11.32
1976 Brenda Morehead, 11.08
1972 Barbara Ferrell, 11.3
1968 Wyomia Tyus, 11.3
1964 Edith McGuire, 11.3w
1960 Wilma Rudolph, 11.5
1956 Isabelle Daniels, 12.0
1952 Mae Faggs, 12.1
1948 Mabel Walker, 12.3
1936 Helen Stephens, 11.7
1932 Ethel Harrington, 12.3
1928 Elta Cartwright, 12.4
Jessica Woodard added to her remarkable resume Thursday with her best performance yet at NCAAs, another PR and All-America honors.
