Gardner blazes out of blocks in 100 at world meet

MOSCOW - They measure "reaction time" at the World Track and Field Championships - and virtually every other major meet these days - down to the thousandth of a second.

It's the gauge of every athlete's response to the electronic starting sound, the mini-moment it takes to "get out of the blocks."

Well, English Gardner's "reaction time" is as good as it gets.

Gardner, the reigning NCAA and USA Track and Field national champion out of Voorhees, "got out" in exactly 0.122 seconds and parlayed that blazing start into a 10.94-second victory in the 100-meter quarterfinals Sunday at Luzhniki Stadium. Her time was the fastest ever in the first round at the meet.

No other rival was faster than the diminutive dasher from South Jersey at either the start or the finish. Her performance stamped her as a runner to watch heading into the semifinals and final on Monday night.

Forty-five runners from around the globe ran the opening round of the 100 and Gardner was the only runner to break 11 seconds.

The next speediest were Kerron Stewart of Jamaica (11.02), Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria (11.03), Ana Claudia Silva of Brazil (11.08) and Verena Sailer of Germany (11.11.)

Gardner will be joined by her three U.S. teammates: Alexandria Anderson (11.13) Octavious Freeman (11.16), and Carmelita Jeter (11.24), the 2011 world champion and Olympic silver medalist.

As another runner in her race, Cache Armbrister of the Bahamas, fidgeted in the blocks two lanes away, Gardner kept her cool and her focus.

"I didn't care what anyone else was doing," said Gardner. "They could have been doing jumping jacks or making faces at me, whatever. Didn't matter. I had my race to run, and that's the only thing that counted."

Gardner, the former star at Eastern High who has had three brilliant years at the University of Oregon, announced that she was forgoing her final season of college eligibility to turn pro after winning the NCAA 100 title. Two weeks later, she proved it was a sound decision by winning the USATF nationals.

After nationals, the long season began to take its toll on her legs and she was not at her best at meets in Rome and London.

At that stage, her coach, John Smith, suggested some rest.

"And that's exactly what I did," Gardner said. "I've been taking it kind of easy leading into worlds. And it worked: My legs felt great today. I'm going to be ready for anybody from here on out."

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser, who won the Olympic 100-meter titles in 2008 and 2012, remains the fastest runner of 2013 (with her 10.77 in London) and the favorite in the world final.

"I don't worry about any of that stuff or any other runner," Gardner said.