TOKYO (Reuters) -World leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Olympic champion Julien Alfred took the first step towards their highly anticipated 100 metres showdown at the world championships by easing through the first round of heats on Saturday.
American Jefferson-Wooden comfortably won the opening heat in 10.99 seconds after easing up, while St Lucian Alfred stormed out of the blocks to dominate the fourth in 10.93 — the fastest time of the day.
Reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson produced her best time of the season to progress but still failed to go under 11 seconds for the first time this year, crossing the line in 11.03.
Tina Clayton was the fastest Jamaican in 11.01 and her much decorated teammates Shericka Jackson, who ran 11.04, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who ran 11.09 to kick off her final meeting before retirement, joined her in the semi-finals.
Britain’s Daryll Neita ran the second fastest time of the round behind Alfred in 10.94, while Torrie Lewis broke the Australian record to progress in 11.08.
With Richardson’s dip in form, the focus in the women’s 100 metres this year has been on the battle for supremacy between Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred, who are both seeking their first individual world titles in Tokyo.
Jefferson-Wooden is unbeaten this season, including a win over Alfred in Oregon, and has clocked a series of sub-11-second times, including the fastest of the year, a 10.65 to win the U.S. trials.
“I’m just looking forward to tomorrow to take it up a notch,” said the 24-year-old, who won bronze behind Alfred and Richardson at the Paris Olympics last year.
“I already hold myself to a really high standard and expectations so, the pressures of the outside world, I really don’t feel them.”
Alfred struggled with injury in the middle of the year but looked to be approaching her best form in time for Tokyo when she won the Diamond League final last month in 10.76 seconds.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Clare Fallon)
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