Clovis sprinter Jenna Prandini earns Olympic medal as part of U.S. relay

The 100 meters and 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics did not work out the way Jenna Prandini wished or wanted, but the Clovis track and field star is coming home with a silver medal after running a leg on the United States 4 x 100 meter relay team.

It was Prandini’s first Olympic medal in the 28-year-old’s fourth Olympic event dating back to her run in the 200 at the Rio Games in 2016.

The American team of Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, Prandini and Gabby Thomas finished second Friday morning in 41.45 seconds.

Jamaica, which dominated the women’s 100- and 200-meter sprints at the Tokyo Games, won the gold with Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in 41.02 seconds.

Great Britain was third, finishing in 41.88 seconds.

Thompson had won both sprint events, while Fraser-Pryce won silver and Jackson the bronze in the 100 meters, and the Jamaicans dominated the relay as well.

Prandini, in the third leg for the U.S., ran a strong turn and into a clear second place after starting about even with Great Britain before passing the baton to Thomas. Jackson, though, was able to pull away in the stretch.

The former Clovis High star and All-American at Oregon had opened her Olympics in the 100 meters, twice matching a season’s best of 11.11 seconds in the first round and the semifinals, but finished fourth in her semis heat and didn’t advance to the final.

In the 200, her specialty event, Prandini blew by the competition in her first-round heat, winning easily in 22.56 seconds. But in the semifinal, she faded in the stretch and again missed the final, running a 22.57.

This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 7:28 AM.