PARIS, France — An Atlanta native will get to race on one of the world's brightest stages after a successful semifinal Tuesday at the Paris Olympics.
Jasmin Jones, a Greater Atlanta Christian School alum, qualified for the women's 400m hurdle final with one of the eight fastest qualifying times.
That means she'll run smack dab in prime time in Paris when the final is held on Thursday, August 8 at 3:25 p.m. ET (9:25 p.m. local time in France).
Jones placed second in the first qualifying semifinal race, giving her an automatic spot in the final. Her time of 53.83 seconds was the seventh fastest in the three semifinal races.
Now a senior at the University of Southern California, Jones stopped after the race to talk to 11Alive's Cheryl Preheim.
"It was so exciting, so much fun," she said of qualifying for the final. "Almost have got to remind myself hey I'm here for a race, for work essentially, so yeah gotta get my mindset for the final together."
She added she fed off the atmosphere at Paris' renowned Stade de Franc, the national stadium in France, where the track and field events are being held.
"It's amazing in here, obviously the most energy I've ever felt from an audience," she said, adding the stadium was "so wide, so high, the sound is deafening. Like the gun goes off and I'm like, whoa where am I."
While an athlete at Greater Atlanta Christian, Jones was a 12-time state individual champion. She told everyone back home that she wanted to "thank you for your support and love" after her successful semifinal run on Tuesday.