Women's 100m Championship Race Moved to First Day of LA28 Olympics in Program Rejig

This female 100m final will headline the opening day of events at the LA28 Olympics as part of organisers' plans to “open with a bang”.

The unanticipated move, which will lead to all three rounds of the 100m occurring on the identical date, was praised by US sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson, who remarked that it showed “the sport is enjoying a resurgence”.

Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith endorsed the adjustment for the Olympics, scheduled from July 15th to 30th. “What an inspiring moment – marking the sustained heritage, power, and international reach of female sprinters, precisely one hundred years after their Olympic debut,” she noted.

While sprinters normally compete up to two times daily, the sport’s governing body announced it had engaged extensively with competitors to guarantee they agreed with the plan.

“Being the standout competition on day one in the legendary LA Memorial Coliseum – as we described it to the athletes, enthusiasm grew,” shared Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer. “Many runners responded: ‘Just notify me. Tell me ahead of time, and I’ll train to complete three 100m races in one day.’”

World Athletics detailed it had carefully structured the schedule to enable as many competitors as possible to “compete in multiple events”, not only in events such as the sprints but also the middle-distance runs and the 1500m and 5,000m. The organization stated there would be 10 days’ worth of competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a mixed 100m relay premiering, along with three days of street competitions at the end of the Games.

“Our athletics agenda begins explosively as women’s speedsters lead the way on opening day,” commented Seb Coe, head of World Athletics. “It’s a timetable that merges novelty with heritage, concluding with the men’s marathon.”

Yet, the line-up makes it unlikely that American athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to participate in the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, given the hurdles semifinals and the 400m final are on the same day.

Aquatics has customarily kicked off the Olympics. Yet because it is occurring in the SoFi venue, which hosts the opening ceremony, it begins in the second week.

Organisers also confirmed that day one will feature the most women’s finals ever in a 24-hour period in Olympic history, with the women’s triathlon gold medal among those up for grabs. They have also scheduled a Super Saturday on the second-to-last day, with 26 titles across 23 disciplines available.

Shana Ferguson, the head of sport and games delivery for LA28, noted the plan is to offer approximately 14,000,000 tickets across 51 disciplines at 49 sites, with general ticket sales due to begin in April 2026. It was also confirmed that planners would not employ the controversial dynamic pricing model that caused anger among Oasis fans this past summer and tested by the football governing body at the Club World Cup in the United States.