“Track and field is experiencing a resurgence, and the journey to the LA28 Olympics is shaping up to be remarkable, particularly for women’s sprints,” said former 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson. After a challenging 2025 season, she is seeking redemption at the 2028 Games. However, the road may be more difficult than fans expect. Why? World Athletics has announced plans to schedule the entire women’s 100m program, spanning heats to the final, on Day 1. This means multiple rounds in a single day with no time to recover. This decision has raised significant concerns, and coaches everywhere are expressing their disapproval.

Jamaican Coach Stephen Francis has openly criticized the IOC’s decision to schedule all three rounds of the women’s 100m on the same day at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while the men’s event takes place over two days. He argues that the move is unfair, unnecessary, and puts an excessive physical burden on female sprinters. “Unfortunately, our regression to the anti-female scheduling especially the one displayed by the World Athletics for the last, I would say, six or so global championships culminated in 2023, when women who ran the 100m and 200m were required to run for five straight days: the 100m on the first two days and the 200m on the next three, without any break, while the men were given two days’ break,” said Francis in his conversation with TVJ news.

That’s not all, legendary Jamaican coach Glen Mills also weighed in on the growing hubbub. When asked about the controversial scheduling, he didn’t hold back, stating, “I dont think its good for ths port in terms of quality of the performances that is expected at an olympic level and im certain that its going to have an impact on the women not getting sufficient recovery and to be able to give us the kind of quality performance that we come to expect.” His concerns echo the broader fear that the new structure could undermine both recovery and performance on the sport’s biggest stage. Is he wrong? Absolutely not. His concern is spot-on. Asking athletes to blaze through multiple rounds of the 100m on the same day, at the Olympic Games, no less, is a recipe for fatigue, inconsistency, and potential injury.

Even the world’s best athletes can only evade exhaustion for so long. According to Citius Mag, the morning session on July 15, 2028, will include the preliminary heats for the women’s 100m event, featuring universality athletes, as well as the first round. Later that evening, athletes will need to return for both the semifinal and the final, wrapping up the competition. It’s a grueling schedule on the biggest stage in the world.

On top of that, athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden are expected to double in the 100m and 200m, making the compressed schedule even more brutal. With such a demanding lineup, coaches have come out all guns blazing, criticizing the plan for pushing sprinters to their limits.

Coaches are unhappy with the LA Olympics’ unfair treatment of Sha’Carri Richardson and others

It’s no secret that athletes typically build speed through each round, slower in the heats, sharper in the semis, and at their explosive best in the finals. But that progression works because those rounds are spread across different days, giving sprinters room to recover. The LA Olympics, however, are running on a different algorithm altogether, and athletes will have no choice but to adapt. Unsurprisingly, coaches across the U.S. are sounding the alarm.

A Short Sprints Coach at Bishop McNamara High School warned, “Nah this isn’t a great idea. The semi times will end up being the fastest out of the bunch. Finals will really just be ran to win. Doubt the final times will be impressive.” Another coach insisted there must be pushback, calling the rules “Absolutely wild…can’t believe there won’t be some pushback.”

RunningLane Track Club’s MileSplit contributor and long-time distance coach Rod Murrow was among the first to sound the alarm, saying, “This seems nuts to me. Sprinters and sprint coaches, am I wrong?”

The Head Track & Field and XC Coach at Sam Barlow High School didn’t mince words, adding that the new format compromises both safety and performance, “It’s a joke to run all the rounds in 1 day. Not safe for the athletes and not good for best performances.” One more coach cut straight to the point, “Stupid.” And even fans aren’t holding back, with one saying, “Wait so they’re run the 100m 3 times in one day? Lord almighty I hope not that sounds horrendous.”

The final timeline is still being refined over the next 2.5 years. While LA 2028 promises innovation, showmanship, and elite athletic performances, this schedule raises real concerns. With increasing backlash from coaches and fans, will officials reconsider the format, or will stars like Sha’Carri Richardson be forced to adapt to a more challenging environment? Only time and pressure will reveal the answer.