---
title: "Day 1 of athletics at Rio 2016: Nery, 10 thousand women and more"
published: 2016-08-12
updated: 2026-08-04
source: "https://dev-abp.massivoai.com/en/articles/dia-1-del-atletismo-en-rio-2016-nery-10-mil-mujeres-y-mas"
---

# Day 1 of athletics at Rio 2016: Nery, 10 thousand women and more

**Today the Rio 2016 Olympic Games begin for athletics. After a week full of swimming, gymnastics, cycling and more, the time has come to see Nery run, Tito Sawyers throw, and the Kenyans, Jamaicans and Ethiopians putting on their medal spectacle.**

The highlight of today for us Costa Ricans is, of course, the qualifying round of the 400 meters flat in which Nery Brenes should advance without problems. The Limón native will run at 6:13 p.m. Costa Rica time in the second heat, alongside young Grenadian Bralon Taplin, who is the only one in the heat with a better time this year. The rest of the competitors have times over 45 seconds, while Nery has proven to be in his best form in recent months with a 44.60 in June (the best time of his life) and a 44.82 on July 10th.

The top three finishers in each heat advance to the semifinals, which will be tomorrow. The three best times among those who failed to finish in those top three places will also qualify, to produce 24 semifinalists from the 56 runners who will start the race today. Of all the participants, only eight have run faster this year than Nery's 44.60 seconds; if the Costa Rican maintains the times he achieved in the last month and a half he would easily pass the preliminary round and would fight head-to-head to make it tomorrow among the eight best who will reach the final.

Reaching the final is precisely Nery's main objective, as in two Olympics he has not achieved it. He stopped in the semifinals at the Beijing 2008 Games and did not advance past the first round in London 2012 due to an ankle injury. This time, however, everything looks much better.

Before leaving for Rio, Nery said he was in the best form of his life, faster than ever and calm. Are these the Games you're arriving at with the most expectations?, we asked him. "These are the Games I'm arriving at most calmly," responded a Nery who seemed very confident in himself and in the process he has carried out over the past year. His relationship with his coach of the last two years, Emmanuel Chanto, could not be better: they have been friends since they competed together over 10 years ago, they joke during training (although they take it very seriously, don't be mistaken) and they have open communication about results and strategies to follow, which has given the Costa Rican a new lease on life.

"I'm ready to show the world what I know I can do," Nery posted on his Facebook a few hours ago. Today, at 6:13 p.m., will be the moment to prove it. Let's go Nery! You can see the complete list of participants [here](https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxi-olympic-games-5771/results/men/800-metres/heats/startlist#resultheader).

**Other events**

Today, on athletics' debut day, there is a race that no distance running lover should miss: the women's 10,000 meters final. Two-time Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba will return to major competition after two years away for maternity. She has only run once this year on the track and achieved an impressive time of 30:28.53. Still, Dibaba is no longer the favorite as she has always been. Her compatriots Almaz Ayana and Gelete Burka beat her in Ethiopia's qualifying round to make these games, and Kenyan Alice Aprot also has a better time this year with 30:26.94.

What's typical in the Olympic 10,000 meters is that everything is decided in the final lap and these four athletes are very close to each other, which promises a thrilling finish. Almaz Ayana is perhaps the favorite as she has shown an impressive level this season: Ethiopia's 10,000 meters qualifying race was the first 10,000 meters of her career, and she ran it in 30:07! The race will be at 8:10 a.m. Costa Rica time; you can see the complete list of participants [here](https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxi-olympic-games-5771/results/women/10000-metres/final/startlist#resultheader).

The 20 kilometer race walk and women's shot put will also award medals during today's competition. There will also be qualifying rounds for women's 100 and 1500 meters, men's 800 meters and long jump. You can see today's complete schedule [here](https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxi-olympic-games-5771/timetable/byday).

 

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