Aug. 13, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL. – Day two of track and field competition at the summer Olympics in Rio saw the start of two South Carolina athletes’ quest for glory. Former Gamecock Natasha Hastings and current student-athlete Aliyah Abrams were in action in the first round of the women’s 400-meter dash.

Hastings was up first, running as an individual quarter-miler for the first time in her career. She had previously represented Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 games as a relay member, but the former national champion reveled in her first chance as an individual. She won her heat easily, pulling up at the line and crossing in 51.31 to clinch the automatic bid to the semifinal. She finished ninth overall out of the 57 competitors in the field, and will be one of three women from Team USA in the semis.

Abrams ran in the eighth and final heat, representing her parents’ home country of Guyana. The rising sophomore put another line on what has been an incredible resume for 2016, finishing 38th overall as a first-time Olympian with just one season of collegiate track experience. Her final time was 52.79, and she ends her season as a two-time All-American and a bronze medalist as part of the women’s 4x400m relay at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this past June.

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Hastings will run tomorrow night in the semifinal round of the 400m. She will run out of lane five in the second of three semifinal heats. Her race will air during the NBC primetime Olympic coverage show, with the heat planned for 7:42 p.m. ET. A live stream of events is also available at NBCOlympics.com.