Getty Image / Christian Petersen
Sports are all about doing your best, pushing yourself past your limits to pursue victory. At least, that’s what they tell us when we’re kids. But, a hilarious incident at the 2024 Team USA Track and Field Olympic Trials proved that that’s not always how it plays out.
With less than a month from the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty of who is going to represent Team USA. But, the women’s 100m hurdles preliminaries at Olympic Trials was anything but gritty.
For the sprint races, the Olympic Trials format is three rounds of races, with multiple heats preliminaries to get semifinalists, semifinalists taking place to get finalists, and eventually taking the top three finishers to the Olympic Games.
But, due to some scratches, there were only 27 runners for the preliminary rounds of the women’s 100m hurdles, and 27 advanced to the semifinals as the Hayward Field track has nine lanes, and there are three semifinal heats.
That means, the only way that someone wouldn’t make the semifinals would be to false start or otherwise be disqualified from the preliminary race.
Veteran athlete Nia Ali realized this, and jogged her race, clinching her spot in the semis in what has to be the record for the slowest time in meet history for someone to advance to the semifinals. Take a look.
Respect the move by Nia Ali to just jog over the hurdles in the first round of the 100m hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials because 27 of 27 women will advance to the semifinals.
Such a silly round.pic.twitter.com/neqzL2Xfw4
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) June 29, 2024
At 35 years old, Nia Ali has been around the block a few times. The Rio Silver Medalist and 2019 World Champion chose to preserve her body for Saturday’s semifinals.