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Iran’s sprinter Hassan Taftian advances to semis in men’s 100m

Saturday, 13 August 2016 11:09 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 13 August 2016 11:10 PM ]

Hassan Taftian of Iran competes in the 60m during the seventh Asian Indoor Athletics Championships at the Aspire Academy of Sports in the Qatari capital, Doha, on February 19, 2016. (AFP)

Iran’s sprinter Hassan Taftian has qualified for the semifinals of the men’s 100 meters event to become the first Iranian ever to advance beyond the preliminary round of the competition at the Olympics.

The 23-year-old finished third in his heat with a time of 10.17 seconds on Saturday. The two fastest runners in each heat automatically qualified for the semifinals; however, Taftian also made progress as he was among the next 8 fastest runners.

Meanwhile, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won his opening round heat with a time of 10.07 seconds as he is looking to become the first man to win 3 straight Olympic 100m gold medals.

American Justin Gatlin clocked 10.01 seconds for the overall best time in the heats. The semifinals will take place Sunday evening local time.

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