🔗 Share this article

The female 100m final is set to feature on the inaugural day of events at the LA28 Olympics as part of planners' strategies to “start with excitement”.

The surprise decision, that means every stage of the 100m being held on the single day, was praised by US sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson, who stated that it showed “track and field is having its moment”.

The UK’s Dina Asher-Smith endorsed the change for the Olympics, set from 15-30 July. “It’s such an exciting opportunity – celebrating the enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years on from the first time women competed in Olympic track and field,” she added.

Although runners typically compete up to two times daily, the sport’s governing body stated it had consulted widely with participants to guarantee they supported the decision.

“To be the pre-eminent event on the first night of competition in the historic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we presented it to the athletes that way, there was excitement,” said Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer for the Games. “A majority of athletes said to me: ‘Just let me know. Let me know early, and I’ll start training to run three 100s in one day.’”

The international federation explained it had deliberately arranged the schedule to allow as many competitors as possible to “compete in multiple events”, not just in disciplines such as the 100m and 200m but also the middle-distance runs and the 1500m and 5,000m. The organization stated there would be a decade’s worth of events at the LA Coliseum, with a co-ed sprint relay being introduced, plus 72 hours of street competitions at the conclusion of the Games.

“We have landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our women’s sprinters take centre stage on day one,” said the World Athletics president, Seb Coe. “It is a schedule that is both innovative but also honours tradition, with the men’s marathon on the final day.”

Yet, the line-up suggests it’s doubtful that American athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to run in both the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, since the hurdles semifinals and the 400m final occur simultaneously.

Swimming has customarily started the Olympics. However, since it is occurring in the SoFi venue, where the inaugural event, it commences in the following week.

Planners also confirmed that the first day will include the most women’s finals ever in a single day in Olympic history, with the women’s triathlon gold medal one of the prizes available. They arranged a action-packed Saturday on the penultimate day, with 26 titles across 23 disciplines available.

An LA28 official, the head of sport and games delivery for LA28, noted the goal is to offer approximately 14 million tickets across 51 events at 49 sites, with public availability due to begin in spring 2026. Ferguson also confirmed that planners are avoiding the disputed variable pricing strategy that caused anger among music enthusiasts recently and tested by Fifa at the Club World Cup in the United States.