The women’s 200-meter Olympic final will feature former Howard sprinter Jessika Gbai, who nabbed the last qualifying spot on time.
Taking part in the third and final heat of the 200-meter semifinal, the top two finishers automatically qualified for the final along with the two next best times.
Gbai ran a personal-best time of 22.36 seconds, coming in third in the heat. However, she finished with the second-best time of the athletes who placed outside of the top two in their heat, gaining her entry into the final.
‼️INTO THE #OlympicGames FINAL SHE GOES‼️
Jessika runs a new personal best, qualifying for the Final on August 6th at 3:40p eastern pic.twitter.com/CcDRfac8Kn— Howard Track & Field/Cross Country (@HUBisonTFXC) August 5, 2024
The former Bison is in her first Olympic Games representing the Ivory Coast. She is looking to become the first woman (and the second athlete overall) in her country’s history to win an Olympic medal in track & field.
In addition, Gbai has a chance to become the first HBCU athlete to win an Olympic track & field medal since North Carolina A&T alums Randolph Ross and Trevor Stewart each won gold as part of the US 4×400 relay team.
The 200-meter final will take place Tuesday afternoon at 3:40 p.m. ET and will air on NBC and Peacock.
