English Gardner
English Gardner

EUGENE, Ore. – U.S. sprint champion, English Gardner, is promising a “nasty” women’s 4x100m relay team at the Rio Olympics next month.

Gardner led three women under 10.80 seconds in the 100m at the 2016 USA Olympic Team Trials on Sunday and she believes the sprint relay team will be something special to see.

The 24-year-old captured the women’s 100m crown at Hayward Field in Eugene on Sunday in a personal best time of 10.74 seconds, improving on the 10.79 previous personal best she posted in 2015.

Those behind her were also fast, as Tianna Bartoletta, Tori Bowie and Morolake Akinosun all ran personal bests on the day.

Bartoletta clocked 10.78 seconds to edge out Bowie, who also ran the same time for third, with Akinosun rounding out the top four in 10.95. Jenna Prandini was fifth in 10.96.

With such fast times, USA could certainly challenge their own women’s 4x100m world record of 40.82, set four-years-ago in London, and a confident Gardner is predicting something fast.

“It’s going to be nasty, I promise you that,” she said about the strength of the women’s 4×100 relay team.

As usual, USA is expected to continue its fierce rivalry in the sprints with Jamaica, which had three women running below 11-seconds in their own trials, including Elaine Thompson, who ran 10.70, easing down as she crossed the finishing line.

On her own individual battle with Bartoletta and Bowie, Gardner said: “These two ladies are the two most fierce ladies we have in the United States because they don’t back down.

She added: “They’re not scared of anybody, and that’s why I love competing with them because they always give the best race they possibly can. I knew it was gonna be a wire-to-wire race, so if I just kept my composure, we would just see what I came out with in the end.”

10 COMMENTS

  1. She better pray that the US got the baton around and not took or last the world championships in Moscow 2013 and as the Jamaican track and field analysts said in Eye On Sports last night the US cannot bring the Oregon track to Rio. And they should know that we Jamaicans never back down from a challenge so Rio 2016 it’s gonna be and all out brawl on the track for the goal medals.

  2. Why do y always talk crap before any major championship, Gatlin ran his mouth for 2 yrs before the olympics and walk away with 2 silver, Jamaicans are always humble, wi just hold a meds and watch that a talk.

  3. Bolt will be fine, but Gatlin is a REAL threat, he had it in the bag last year and broke down
    9.79 to 9.80 hardly a thrashing…Yohan Blake looks slow and of course is afraid of Nickel Ashmeade

    US men will got 37 flat in the 4×100…

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