Tokyo-bound Bromell romps to 100m victory at US trials

EUGENE, United States: Trayvon Bromell blasted to victory in the 100m at the US Olympic track and field trials on Sunday, sealing his ticket to Tokyo with a wire-to-wire win in 9.80 seconds.

The 25-year-old from Florida, who has made a remarkable return to form this year after a career ravaged by injuries, exploded out of the blocks and took an early lead to claim an impressive win at Hayward Field.

Ronnie Baker was second in 9.85sec with Fred Kerley third in 9.86sec. Justin Gatlin meanwhile failed in his quest to make a fourth Olympic games at the age of the 39, coming home in eighth place in 10.87sec.

Bromell’s renaissance this year comes after a career that had been blown off course by a catalogue of injuries. He exploded onto the athletics scene in 2015, when he ran a personal best time of 9.84sec for the 100m before his 20th birthday — the fastest time ever run by a teenager over the distance — before later claiming a bronze at that year’s World Championships in Beijing.

He won gold in the 60m at the World Indoor championships in Portland in 2016, but suffered disappointment at the Rio Olympics that year, only finishing in eighth place in the final won by Usain Bolt.

He later suffered a torn Achilles in the final of the 4x100m relay, leaving the stadium in a wheelchair — the start of an injury nightmare that saw him miss two full years of competition. However he has been in scintillating form in 2021, and earlier this month clocked the fastest time in the world this year of 9.77sec.