Olympic Trials Wrap-up: Phyllis Francis, English Gardner, Jenna Prandini advance while other Ducks fall

It was great to be back at the Olympic Trials on Friday, but former Oregon athletes stumbled, with only three sprinters advancing to the semi-finals.

Day one of the Olympic Trials certainly did not disappoint.

The highlights of the afternoon at Hayward Field saw Oregon native Ryan Crouser setting the world record in the shot-put, throwing it 76-8.25, and breaking the old mark by an incredible 8 inches. We also got to watch a tightly contested 10,000-meter race to close out the night, which unfortunately saw both of the Oregon Ducks competing fall by the wayside.

All in all, it wasn’t a stellar day for Duck alums, with only three of the 10 competing athletes advancing to the semi-finals. Oregon legend Phyllis Francis got through the 400m qualifying round with a 51.34, while both English Gardner and Jenna Prandini advance in the 100m dash, coming in at 11.17 and 11.22, respectively.

Here is how the flock of Ducks faired on Friday:

  • Phyllis Francis 400m // 10th place // 51.34 // Advanced
  • English Gardner 100m // 13th place // 11.17 // Advanced
  • Jenna Prandini 100m // 18th place // 11.22 // Advanced
  • Marcus Chambers 400m // 23rd place // 46.30 // Did not advance 
  • Galen Rupp 10,000m // 6th place // 27:49.53 // Did not advance
  • Eric Jenkins 10,000m // Did not finish (Injury)
  • Alli Cash 1,500m and 5K // Did not Race (Unknown)
  • Hannah Cunliffe 100m // 16th place // 11.21 // Did not advance
  • Kiana Phelps Discus Q // 21st place // 175-6 // Did not advance
  • Dominique Ruotolo triple jump  // 13th place // 42-11 // Did not advance

For the three Ducks that did advance out of their qualifiers on Friday, they will take the track again on Saturday in the semi-finals and work to stay alive. Prandini and Gardner will line up in the starting blocks at 6:03 p.m. in the 100m semi-finals, while Francis will line up in the 400m semi-finals at 7:20 p.m.

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