Clovis sprint star Jenna Prandini matches season’s best, advances to Olympic semifinals

Jenna Prandini, the Clovis sprint star, finished third in her 100 meters heat on Thursday night to advance to the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Prandini ran in the seventh of seven 100 meters heats, and one of the two fastest heats in the event. It included Shericka Jackson from Jamaica, who had a personal and season best 100 meters of 10.77 seconds and three others including Prandini with a personal best of less than 11 seconds – Michelle-Lee Ahye from Trinidad and Tobago had run a 10.82, Prandini a 10.92 and Yongli Wei from China a 10.99.

The second heat also had four sprinters with sub 11-second 100s.

Ahye won the heat in 11.06 seconds followed by Jackson in 11.07. Prandini ran 11.11, matching a season’s best set last month at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.

Americans Teahna Daniels and Javianne Oliver also advanced to the semifinals. Daniels won the first of the seven heats in 11.04 seconds and Oliver was second in the fourth heat in 11.15 seconds.

The 100 meters semifinals start at 3:15 a.m. Pacific time Saturday with the final following at 5:50 a.m. from National Stadium in Tokyo.

The top three fastest into the semifinals were Marie-Josée Ta Lou from Ivory Coast in 10.78, Elaine-Thompson-Herah from Jamaica in 10.82 and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from Jamaica in 10.84.

Prandini, who will also run the 200 meters in Tokyo, is in the first of three semifinal heats along with Thompson-Herah and Blessing Okagbare from Nigeria, who won the sixth first-round heat. Dina Asher-Smith from Great Britain and Ajla Del Ponte from Switzerland, who finished second in their heats, also are in the first semifinal.