TOKYO, Japan — America's fastest man put in a startling run in the 100m qualifying heats early Saturday morning, barely making it to the semifinals.
Trayvon Bromell, a bronze medalist in the 100m at the 2015 world championships, finished just fourth in his qualifying heat with a time of 10.05 seconds.
That was just good enough to still qualify for tomorrow's semifinal races as one of the fastest runners not to finish in the top three of his heat. But it was a concerning performance from a runner who was No. 1 at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
At that competition in Oregon last month, Bromell ran a 9.80 in the 100m. Before dealing with injuries in recent years, Bromell was once considered one of the possible successors to Usain Bolt for title of world's fastest man. At the trials, it looked like he might be regaining his best form.
His 9.80 and a previous 9.77 run are the two fastest times in the world this year.
Asked after the race what went wrong, he said, "I don't know."
He'll have a chance to put it behind him on Sunday though, when he runs in one of three semifinal races
His race will begin at 6:23 p.m. ET.
Bromell's U.S. teammates Fred Kerley, with a time of 9.97s, and Ronnie Baker, with a time of 10.03s, also qualified for the semifinals and will be in action on Sunday.