Former Oregon star English Gardner won the women’s international 100 meters Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic in a photo finish — by a mere .002 second over Jamaican Elaine Thompson.
Gardner’s time, 10.84, is the fastest in the world so far this year.
After a false start was called due to movement from one of the outer lanes, Gardner was able to take another moment to concentrate. “You always get scared at the beginning getting set at the blocks,” she said, “so I’m kind of glad it happened and I could check myself.”
A two-time NCAA champion in the 100 meters during her time as a Duck, Gardner fed off the energy from the sold-out Hayward Field crowd, finishing with a personal-best time.
“People don’t realize Hayward magic is real,” said Gardner. “It feels so good to be back. It’s like everyone here is my family, and I’m going to give them all I got.”
Thompson was competing in a Diamond League event for the first time.
“Being in Oregon for the first time, it kind of threw me off,” Thompson said. “But once I got on the track, it was the perfect temperature because it felt like being home in Jamaica. I gave it my all on that last push, and I’m happy getting a new personal best.”
Garner, coming off a disappointing 2014 season, said she’s feeling like her old self again after some recent setbacks.
“It was definitely tough last year tearing both my hamstrings and getting a new coach in John Smith, but I feel like the 2013 English,” she said. “The English that steps onto the track with some cockiness and a little bit of swagger.”
The emotion was obvious after she mustered her final bit of energy to stretch out and beat Thompson. She pumped her fists in the air and threw the Oregon “O” to the exhilarated crowd.
“I was so emotional at the end,” said Gardner. “I believed in myself and came out with the victory. It wasn’t anything anyone told me — it was just self-motivation.”
“Being in Oregon for the first time, it kind of threw me off,” Thompson said, “but once I got on the track, it was the perfect temperature because it felt like being home in Jamaica. I gave it my all on that last push, and I’m happy getting a new personal best.”
Up-and-coming American Kaylin Whitney finished last, but her time of 11.49 was a season best. The 17-year-old, who just celebrated her birthday by turning pro and signing a contract with Nike, knows this is just the beginning.
“At times, it’s overwhelming,” said Whitney. “My schoolings changed, and now I’m training with professionals and lining up next to sub-11 second women. I have to remind myself I’m only 17 and I have nowhere to go but up.”
Whitney now turns her attention to training for nationals, a preparation of sorts for her ultimate goal of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she wants to become the youngest American to compete in track and field in 40 years.
