The women's 100 meter sprinters got the Tokyo Olympic athletics program off to explosive start on Friday as the morning heats delivered a series of scorching times to suggest even bigger things to come once medals are at stake.
It was slightly surreal to hear the crack of a 100m starting pistol accompanied by virtual silence, yet the first day of the Games' No.1 sport still managed to deliver something of a buzz.
The varied seat colors took the visual edge off the sad sight of a huge but largely deserted stadium. Helping to create an atmosphere were pockets of teammates and officials, the stadium announcer and the background hum of scores of TV commentators speaking excitedly in a full spectrum of languages.
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