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British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith recorded the fastest time in the women’s 100 metres heats at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.
Jamaican trio Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson also advanced to Sunday’s semifinals.
Asher-Smith came within one hundreth of a second of the British record with a time of 10.84, the fastest of the day.
“I had some very talented and up-and-coming women in my heat so I had to execute my race but conserve a little bit,” Asher-Smith said.
“I wasn’t thinking about time but was happy to win my heat. I need to go and recover to run fast with the girls tomorrow. In this situation, you just have to think about winning, no matter what the time.”
Meanwhile, nearly a year since she produced the second-fastest 100m of all time at the springy Hayward Field, back-to-back Olympic sprint double champion Thompson-Herah won her heat in 11.15, easing up at the 60m mark.
World leader Fraser-Pryce also preserved her energy, winning her heat in 10.87 while Jackson, the other member of the trio who took all three Tokyo Olympics podium spots, came home first in her heat in 11.02.
“The first one is usually one of the hardest because you want to make sure everything is working well and you qualify,” Fraser-Pryce said. “I wanted to qualify as easy as possible.”
A bronze medallist three years ago, Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast won her heat in 10.92, going under 11 seconds for the first time this season, edging American Twanisha Terry, who received loud cheers from the home crowd as the United States hosts its first worlds.
“I wasn’t expecting that type of welcome. It’s amazing to be here on U.S. soil,” Terry said.
Her compatriots Aleia Hobbs and national champion Melissa Jefferson also advanced to Sunday’s semifinal.
New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs advanced with a national record of 11.08, a day after compatriot Edward Osei-Nketia broke his father’s national record on the men’s side in 10.08.