Home News Paris Olympics track meet starts on Friday

Paris Olympics track meet starts on Friday

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By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — When action at the Olympic track starts Friday, Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles and the rest will be going for gold, a $50,000 check and a chance to go out with a clang.

All winners in track and field will be given the honor of ringing the big bell inscribed with “Paris 2024” that’s located on the edge of the track at Stade de France.

As part of the legacy of the Paris Olympics, the bell eventually will move from the stadium to a permanent home at the rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral.

Australia's Henry Hutchison smiles as he rings the bell after they defeated Kenya in their men's Rugby Sevens Pool B match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France, Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Match winning teams get to ring the bell. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Australia’s Henry Hutchison smiles as he rings the bell after they defeated Kenya in their men’s Rugby Sevens Pool B match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France, Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Match winning teams get to ring the bell. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) 

“Doesn’t matter how loud this crowd gets, people will hear that,” said sprinting great Carl Lewis, who joined Allyson Felix, Marie Jo Perec and Paris Games organizer Tony Estanguet in testing out the bell Thursday.

Estanguet called it a great way to engage with the fans, and part of organizers’ broader plan to blend a taste of Paris and its culture into every venue. During the first week of the Olympics, rugby was at Stade de France and those players took turns at the bell.

Now, it’s track’s turn, and ringing it will be a privilege, not a right.

“It’s just for the gold medalists, and it’s a great way for them to celebrate,” Estanguet said.

The first bell ringer will be the winner of the men’s 10,000 meters, which caps off opening night on the purple track surface.

Runners to watch include defending champion Selemon Barega and this year’s world leader, Yomif Kejelcha — both from Ethiopia — and world-record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda.

Also at stake is a $50,000 first prize that World Athletics is giving for the first time to winners in all 48 Olympic track events.

First to cash in Thursday, at an event not held in the stadium, were 20K racewalk winners Brian Pintado of Ecuador and Yang Jiayu of China.

Sha’Carri Richardson takes center stage

American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson will be on the track Friday morning for a first-round heat in the 100.

Opening Ceremony - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 0
Sha’Carri Richardson poses for a photo while riding with teammates on a boat with teammates along the Seine River during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ashley Landis – Pool/Getty Images) 

All things considered, this should be nothing more than a warmup and a tuneup for the 24-year-old, who came to France as a favorite and only saw her status improve when Shericka Jackson of Jamaica said she was bowing out of the 100.

But remember this: At Olympic trials, Richardson wobbled out of the starting blocks in her first race and needed to turn on the jets after a bad start. She won the heat with her right shoelace untied.

OLY-PARIS-2024-OPENING
Sha’Carri Richardson, of the United States, shows off her nails while traveling along the Seine River, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by ASHLEY LANDIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) 

“I think she’s positioned perfectly,” Felix said. “She’s coming off a world championship. She looks to be the overwhelming favorite. I think she just has to execute.”

Super Saturday featuring Richardson and Noah Lyles

Noah Lyles opens up action in the first round early Saturday, then Richardson is back on the track trying to win the gold medal.

Lyles comes in as the defending world champion, though any inkling that this could be a cakewalk has been erased thanks to a new name in track — Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.

Opening Ceremony - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 0
Noah Lyles, right, of the United States poses for photos while traveling along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Photo by Ashley Landis – Pool/Getty Images) 

It is Thompson, not Lyles, who has the year’s fastest time at 9.77 seconds. But Lyles has more big-race experience. This will mark his second Olympics, on top of three world championships, where he has won six gold medals.

Lyles has made no secret about his desire to duplicate what he did at last year’s worlds by taking the sprint double.

“For me, it’s another chance to assert my dominance,” he said. “It’s another chance to stay consistent, another chance to kind of continue on this quest that I’ve had with myself.”

A real rivalry at 1,500 meters

One of the most anticipated races for track aficionados is the men’s 1,500 meters, which features defending Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and world champion Josh Kerr.



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