2024 Olympic track and field finals to be held in evening, World Athletics announces
Men's 100m final set for Aug. 4 while women's marathon ends 11-day event Aug. 11
Track and field finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics will take place during the evening, World Athletics said Monday as it published its schedule for next year's Summer Olympics.
The global governing body for athletics added events would be spread out over 11 days, starting with the men's and women's 20-kilometre race walks on Aug. 1 at 1:30 a.m. ET and 3:20 a.m. (7:30 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. in France, respectively) and ending Aug. 11 with the women's marathon at 2 a.m. ET.
Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, B.C., placed ninth in the Olympic women's marathon on Aug. 6, 2021 in Sapporo, Japan, 17 years after her most recent Summer Games appearance. Two-time Olympian Natasha Wodak of Surrey, B.C., kept pace with Elmore for much of the race to finish 13th.
"Track and field competition will take place during 17 sessions at the Stade de France. All track and field finals will be held in the evening sessions, while the road events will take place in the mornings on four different days," World Athletics said.
The men's 100-metre final is slated for Aug. 4 at 3:50 p.m. ET (9:50 p.m. in Paris), followed by the 200 final four days later at 3:25 p.m. Andre De Grasse of Markham, Ont., collected bronze in the 100 at his second straight Olympics two years ago in Tokyo. He also became the first Canadian to win a gold medal in the 200 since Percy Williams in 1928.
WATCH | The key to De Grasse's speed:
Decathlete Damian Warner of London, Ont., is expected to compete in Paris after winning gold for the first time at Tokyo in August 2021 with an Olympic record 9,018 points to defeat Kevin Mayer of France (8,726). The 1,500, the final decathlon event at the 2024 Summer Games, is scheduled for Aug. 3 at 3:43 p.m. ET.
On the women's side, the 100 and 200 finals will be contested Aug. 3 and 6 at 3:20 p.m. ET and 3:50 p.m., respectively. The battle for shot put gold goes Aug. 9 at 3:40 p.m., one day before the 1,500 final at 2:25 p.m.
The schedule is also conducive for those like Canadian sprinters Andre De Grasse and Aaron Brown along with distance runner Moh Ahmed, who like to compete in multiple races.
"Athletes looking to double up in the 100 metres & 200, 800 & 1,500, 1,500 and 5,000, or 5,000 and 10,000 will be able to do so, without having to compete in more than one discipline on any given day.
"Other possible doubles include the long jump and triple jump, and the 20 km & 35 km race walks."
Last year, World Athletics said it will introduce a repechage round in individual track events from 200 to 1,500 at the 2024 Games.
WATCH | De Grasse uses love of basketball to give back to community:
With files from CBC Sports
