Tokyo 2020: When is the 100m Olympic final? UK start time for men’s and women’s sprint races

ByDan Gibbs

Published 15/07/2021 at 00:05 GMT

Dina Asher-Smith will be going for gold in the women's 100m event in Tokyo but needs to overcome Jamaican sensation Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. In the men's 100m events, Christian Coleman is among the favourites to scoop gold and become the fastest man in the world but Team GB's Zharnel Hughes is also aiming to get on the podium.

Usain Bolt may not be running in the delayed 2020 Olympics but that doesn’t mean the 100m race will be short of drama.

The retired Jamaican hung up his spikes after successfully defending his 100m gold for a third successive time at Rio 2016, meaning this year in Tokyo we’ll have a new winner.

Jamaica have also had success in the women’s 100m race with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce winning two of the last three golds on offer since Beijing 2008.

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The 100m race is the showpiece of the athletics events, and arguably the entire Games, so it’s worth putting the date in your diary now to make sure you don’t miss all ten seconds of it.

With the Games taking place in Japan, many of the events will be underway when the UK are asleep with Tokyo eight hours ahead.

But the good news for UK athletics fans is there will be no need to set an early alarm for either 100m final.

• Dina Asher-Smith: I was relieved when Olympics were postponed
• Asher-Smith: Fraser-Pryce's 10.63s 100m is 'amazing' for the sport

When is the men’s 100m final race?

The men’s 100m prelims start on Saturday, July 31 (01:00-04:00 BST) with the first round taking place later on that day in the evening session (11:00-13:55 BST).

The semi-finals and final get underway on Sunday, August 1 in the evening session (11:00-13:55 BST) with the final due to start at 13:50 BST.

Zharnel Hughes looks to be Team GB's best chance of a medal but false-started in the final at the British Championships.

He is the reigning European 100m champion and also made the world final in 2019.

Top 10: Most exciting 100m races in Olympics history

When is the women’s 100m final race?

The women's 100m prelims get underway on Friday, July 30 in the morning session in Japan (01:00-04:30 BST) with the first round to follow after.

The semi-final and final take place on Saturday, July 31, both in the second session of the day (11:00-13:55 BST), with the medals being decided at 13:50 BST.

• Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Full schedule and key events

Britain's Dina Asher-Smith will be hoping to feature in the medals but her preparations have sparked some minor concerns after withdrawing from Tuesday's British Grand Prix event in Gateshead as a precaution with a tight hamstring.

Jamaica’s double Olympic 100m champion Fraser-Pryce is the woman to beat having recently run the second-fastest 100m ever.

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