Filipina sprinter Jessica Laurance impressed in her Asian Games debut, reaching the finals of the women's 100-m on Friday night at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
The 22-year-old sprinter, who traces her maternal roots to Tanay, Rizal, clocked 11.58 seconds to finish 8th in the championship heat. The finals were dominated by China's Yujie Chen, who captured the gold with a blistering new Games record of 11.06 seconds.
Despite missing the podium, Laurance was incredibly proud of her unexpected finals appearance in her first-ever Asiad representing the Philippines.
"It was so fun, it's my first Asian Games. I am incredibly proud to be here. Honestly, I've never thought that I'd be in this level," Laurance shared. "Representing my country has really made me connect with my family here. They have provided me with opportunities, and I hope I've made them proud."
Her journey to the elite final wasn't without hurdles. Laurance checked in 4th during the preliminary heats with a time of 11.62 seconds, overcoming early logistical challenges outside of her control.
"I think I improve every race. Yesterday in the prelims it was a bit messy because the transport was a bit chaotic. So I only got a 30-minute to warm up," she revealed.
She impressively bounced back in the semifinals, improving her time to 11.57 seconds to book her hard-earned ticket to the championship.
"I am proud that I even made the final," Laurance added. "I was hoping for a better time, but I mean it's my first Asian Games running against the fastest of Asia. I can't be mad at myself."
With the 100m now in the books, Laurance is shifting her focus to her upcoming events: the 4x100m Mixed Relay and the 4x100m Women's Relay.
Meanwhile, in other athletics results, Filipino runners Michael del Prado and Gabriel Borado clocked times of 48.13 and 48.14 seconds, respectively, in the Men's 400m, unfortunately falling short of advancing to the final round.