Running News Daily

Portuguese sprint star Tatjana Pinto has once again rewritten the national record books, producing a sensational performance to claim victory in the women's 100 meters at the Portuguese Athletics Championships in Lisbon.

Pinto stormed across the finish line in a blistering 11.02 seconds, aided by a legal +1.8 m/s tailwind, lowering the Portuguese national record she had established just a month earlier. The remarkable run confirms her outstanding form and cements her status as the fastest woman in Portuguese history.

The race was never in doubt as Pinto powered away from the field with an explosive start and flawless execution, leaving her rivals chasing from the opening strides. Arialis Martinez finished second in 11.29, while Beatriz Castelhano secured third place in 11.34, but neither could match Pinto's exceptional pace.

Breaking a national record is a rare achievement; improving one only weeks after setting it is even more extraordinary. Pinto's latest milestone highlights her rapid progression and growing consistency at the highest level of Portuguese sprinting.

The performance also reinforces Portugal's growing presence in European sprinting, with Pinto emerging as one of the continent's most exciting athletes. Running so close to the coveted 11-second barrier is a testament to her dedication, technical refinement, and the confidence she has built throughout the season. If her current trajectory continues, even faster times could be within reach.

Beyond the stopwatch, Pinto's latest record serves as an inspiration for the next generation of Portuguese athletes. Her relentless pursuit of excellence demonstrates that national milestones are only stepping stones toward greater international success. With major championships on the horizon, she has positioned herself as an athlete capable of challenging the very best, and the athletics world will be watching closely to see what she accomplishes next.

With every race, the Portuguese speedster continues to raise the standard of women's sprinting in her country. Her record-breaking display in Lisbon not only delivered another national title but also sent a powerful message ahead of the international championships, where she will be aiming to carry this outstanding form onto an even bigger stage.

Sha'Carri Richardson reminded the athletics world exactly why she remains one of the sport's biggest stars, producing a commanding performance to capture the women's 100-meter title at the 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships.

Exploding out of the blocks with trademark confidence and unmatched speed, Richardson surged clear of the field to cross the finish line in a sensational 10.77 seconds with a legal +0.9 m/s tailwind. The performance not only secured her third U.S. 100-meter crown in four years but also established a new facility record while standing as the second-fastest women's 100m time in the world this season.

The victory reinforces Richardson's remarkable dominance on the national stage. After claiming consecutive U.S. titles in 2023 and 2024, she has now completed an impressive championship hat-trick with another authoritative display in 2026.

Despite lining up against one of the strongest sprint fields in the country, Richardson left no doubt about who was in control. Her explosive acceleration and powerful finish created daylight between herself and the chasing pack, delivering a performance worthy of a reigning global sprint icon.

Kayla White produced an outstanding race to secure second place in 10.90, while Tamari Davis rounded out the podium after clocking 11.00. Anavia Battle finished fourth in 11.02, narrowly ahead of Jaslyn Gardner, who crossed in 11.03. Nayla Harris (11.06), Kaila Jackson (11.11), Jassani Carter (11.15), and Melicia Mouzzon (11.18) completed a highly competitive final.

Women's 100m Final Results

1. Sha'Carri Richardson – 10.77 (Facility Record)

2. Kayla White – 10.90

3. Tamari Davis – 11.00

4. Anavia Battle – 11.02

5. Jaslyn Gardner – 11.03

6. Nayla Harris – 11.06

7. Kaila Jackson – 11.11

8. Jassani Carter – 11.15

9. Melicia Mouzzon – 11.18

Richardson's emphatic victory sends a powerful statement ahead of the remainder of the international season. With championship form returning at exactly the right moment, the American sprint queen has once again placed herself firmly at the center of the global women's 100-meter conversation, proving that when the stakes are highest, she remains the athlete everyone else must chase.

There was more than victory in Nairobi for American sprint star Gabby Thomas — there was joy, rhythm, and the unmistakable feeling of an athlete discovering her finest form at exactly the right moment.

Fresh from a commanding sprint double at the 2026 Kip Keino Classic, Thomas lit up the Kenyan capital with both her speed and her smile, reminding the world why she remains one of the most dangerous names in global sprinting. Competing at altitude against strong opposition, she delivered two performances built on power, control, and confidence.

She first captured the 100m title in 11.02, displaying explosive acceleration and smooth execution. Then she returned to the track for the 200m and produced the headline performance of the meet — a world-leading 21.89 that underlined her championship pedigree and elite finishing strength.

But beyond the victories, it was the message behind the performance that stood out most.

Thomas leaves Nairobi feeling fit, healthy, and fully energized — perhaps the most valuable outcome of all for an athlete preparing for a long and demanding season. After years of consistent growth and rising expectations, she now appears to be blending world-class form with visible happiness, a combination that often creates the very best results.

Her Nairobi campaign brought more than fast times. It also offered valuable race lessons, sharper instincts, and further proof that her preparation is translating perfectly onto the track when it matters most.

Now her focus shifts to Botswana, where the next chapter of her season awaits. She travels there carrying momentum, confidence, and the aura of an athlete building something serious.

Nairobi gave Gabby Thomas trophies.

It may also have given her belief.

And for the rest of the sprint world, that could be the bigger story.

Competing at a track meet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday, a South African athlete named Lleyton Davids ran a sub-11-second 100m, running barefoot. A video posted by AIS Athletics (the athletics academy that hosted the meet) shows Davids flying toward the finish and crossing the line in second place. To make his run even more impressive, Davids is a triple jumper (he’s the two-time reigning South African champion), and sprinting isn’t even his main focus. 

In the AIS Athletics video, Davids can be seen lining up in the blocks and waiting for the starting gun to sound. His competitors all have spikes on, but it didn’t end up helping them out much, as Davids flew past all but one of them. 

According to Davids’s World Athletics profile, his 100m PB is 11.02 seconds. He ran this time in March 2022, and while there’s a chance he has run other 100m races in his career (many lower-profile races aren’t listed by World Athletics, including his most recent run in the UAE), it’s amazing that he managed to better his official PB by more than half a second without spikes–or any shoes at all. (Davids appears to usually wear shoes when competing and training, as seen in various posts on his Instagram page.) 

Davids’s new PB (official or not) is tied for the 106th fastest in South African history. With 105 men ahead of him on that list, it may not sound that impressive, but keep in mind that each of those runners was likely wearing spikes (or shoes of some kind). 

Davids has won the triple jump title at the past two South African Championships, and he will have the chance to add a third at this year’s competition, slated for March 30 and April 1. 

Five world champions, four Olympic gold medallists and two world record-holders are set to compete at the FBK Games – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – in Hengelo on Sunday (6).

Pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis will be raring to go after his 23-meet winning streak came to an end at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Gateshead at the end of last month. Battling tough conditions, the 21-year-old from Sweden gave the bar a slight nudge on his final attempt at 5.80m – what would have been a winning height – and it came down, meaning victory went to two-time world champion Sam Kendricks.

Kendricks won’t be in Hengelo, but Duplantis will have one eye on the US vaulter’s meeting record and Dutch all-comers’ record of 5.91m.

Olympic champion Thiago Braz and Dutch vaulter Menno Vloon, who set a national indoor record of 5.96m earlier this year, are also in the line-up.

Double world champion Sifan Hassan will return to the track on which she set a European 10,000m record of 29:36.67 last year and will again contest the 25-lap discpline. The Dutch distance runner has tested her form over a range of distances this year, clocking 8:33.62 for 3000m indoors, followed by 14:35.34 for 5000m and 2:01.54 for 800m outdoors.

Kenya’s Daisy Cherotich, New Zealand’s world finalist Camille Buscomb and Canada’s Andrea Seccafien will all be hoping to emerge from the race with lifetime bests.

World 800m champion Halimah Nakaayi will open her 2021 campaign over her specialist distance. The Ugandan middle-distance runner takes on a quartet of Britons – Laura Muir, Kelly Hodgkinson, Jemma Reekie and Adelle Tracey – as well as Norway’s Hedda Hynne and France’s Renelle Lamote.

In the men’s event, indoor sensation Elliot Giles lines up for his first outdoor 800m of the year, taking on fellow Brits Max Burgin – who set a European U20 record of 1:44.14 in Ostrava last month – and Daniel Rowden. Tony van Diepen, one of the Netherlands’ top performers at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21, is also in the field.

Recent Montreuil winner Abel Kipsang goes in the men’s 1500m where he’ll take on Uganda’s Ronald Musagala and Britain’s sub-3:30 performer Jake Wightman.

Asher-Smith, Kerley and McLeod set to produce sprint highlights

Although she has raced there only once before, world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith has fond memories of racing in Hengelo.

It is where, as a teenager back in 2015, she set her first senior national record over 100m, clocking 11.02. Six years on from that performance, and having bagged many more records and medals, the world 200m champion will be hoping for a sub-11-second clocking to improve on the 11.35 season’s best she recorded when winning in Gateshead, running in heavy rain and into a -3.1m/s headwind.

Nigeria’s world and Olympic medallist Blessing Okagbare, who has a season’s best of 10.90, and two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers are also in the line-up.

World 4x400m champion Fred Kerley has so far this year produced his most impressive performances at 100m, clocking 9.91 and 9.96 in recent weeks. In Hengelo, however, he’ll step back up to his specialist 400m discipline and will aim to improve on the 44.60 season’s best he recorded in Doha last week.

Briana Williams has gone pro!

The 17-year-old Jamaican, who had an outstanding year in 2019, has signed a multi-year contract with Nike. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Recognized as one of the rising stars in track and field having won the sprint double at the World U20 Championships in Tampere in 2018, Williams was courted by a number of shoe companies with PUMA and Nike being the frontrunners.

Nike eventually won the right to the signature of the talented teen, whose coach Ato Boldon confirmed the signing to Sportsmax.TV.

“Briana has had people dedicated to her abilities for many years. Even before me, Coach Tennessee and Coach Damion Thomas, have done right by her,” Boldon said.

“I was just handed the baton for this leg of the race, but I’ve been around this industry a long time and for a company like Nike, who can back anyone, to put this level of support behind Briana, makes all of the work over the last five years, worth it. She is extremely blessed and fortunate to be where she is at just 17.”

Williams, who turns 18 in March, said the Nike deal has provided a platform for her to chase her dreams.

“I’m extremely proud. I have come a long way. This is a big deal for me because I’m young but I’m ready to show the world what I am capable of,” said Williams who now belongs to the group (HSI) that includes indoor 400m WR holder Mike Norman and world champions Christian Coleman and Dalilah Muhammad.

“I’m glad that Nike gave me this opportunity. It means the world to me as a girl with big dreams.”

The year 2019 was a big year for Williams. She won the 100m at the NACAC U18 Championships in Mexico and the Pan Am U20 Championships in Costa Rica during the year in which she ran unbeaten at the junior level.

She also won the Austin Sealy Award at the CARIFTA Games for the second year running after winning three gold medals, duplicating her achievements in 2018. In June, she set a Jamaican junior record of 11.02s in New Mexico.

Track & Field News, considered the bible of the sport, recognized her stellar year by naming her their High School Athlete of the Year for 2019.

The prodigious teen suffered a setback during the year when she returned an adverse finding for a banned diuretic found in her urine sample at the Jamaican National Championships in June where she finished third in the 100m behind two-time Olympic champions Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

As such, her time of 10.94s, which would have been a U18 world record and a national junior record for Jamaica, was subsequently struck from the record books.

Following a hearing before an Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel in September, Williams was reprimanded but was free to compete. However, due to how late the verdict came, her chances of competing at the 2019 World Championships in Doha were effectively dashed.