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The women's 100m final will take center stage on the opening day of competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as a key element in organisers' plans to “open with a bang”.

The unanticipated choice, that means each heat of the 100m occurring on the single day, was welcomed by American track athlete Sha’Carri Richardson, who stated that it showed “athletics is stepping into the spotlight”.

Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith endorsed the switch for the Games, set from July 15th to 30th. “This is a thrilling chance – honoring the lasting impact, resilience, and worldwide influence of women’s sprinting, a full century after women first entered Olympic athletics,” she continued.

Although runners typically race no more than twice per day, the sport’s governing body announced it had engaged extensively with athletes to ensure they agreed with the plan.

“Hosting the premier event on the opening evening at the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we explained it to competitors, they were thrilled,” noted Janet Evans, the Games’ chief athlete officer. “Most athletes told me: ‘Simply inform me. Give me advance notice, and I’ll prepare to race three 100-meter events in a single day.’”

World Athletics clarified it had carefully structured the timetable to allow as many competitors as possible to “enter more than one race”, not just in disciplines like the 100m and 200m but additionally the middle-distance runs and the 1500m and 5,000m. It said that there would be a decade’s worth of events at the LA Coliseum, with a co-ed sprint relay premiering, along with three days of street competitions at the conclusion of the Olympics.

“We have landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our women’s sprinters take centre stage on day one,” said the World Athletics president, Seb Coe. “It is a schedule that is both innovative but also honours tradition, with the men’s marathon on the final day.”

Yet, the agenda suggests it’s doubtful that American athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to participate in the 400m and the 400 hurdles, since the hurdles semifinals and the 400m final occur simultaneously.

Aquatics has traditionally initiated the Summer Games. But as it is being held in SoFi Stadium, which hosts the inaugural event, it commences in the second week.

Organisers also confirmed that day one will include the most women’s finals ever in a single day in Olympic history, with the female triathlon title among those up for grabs. Additionally, they planned a mega Saturday on the second-to-last day, with 26 gold medals across 23 sports up for grabs.

An LA28 official, LA28’s chief of sport and games delivery, noted the plan is to distribute around 14 million passes across 51 Olympic sports at 49 locations, with public sales starting in April 2026. Officials added that planners would not employ the disputed variable pricing strategy that caused anger among Oasis fans in the summer and experimented with by Fifa at the Club World Cup in the United States.