GREAT JOB, REGINE!!!

Team Guam's Regine Tugade placed eighth in her field of nine sprinters in her heat at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The three-time Olympian made history after she advanced from the preliminary round during the women's 100-meter event held at the Stade de France on Friday morning.

"It was tough because I didn't get the Big Q [qualifying by place] in the first prelim," she said, "but I got the Little Q [qualifying by time] by the grace of God by the skin of my teeth, so and by the grace of God I was go even further next time," said Tugade.

She finished the race in 11.87 seconds. "This time around I was just really focused on my start and getting out there," she said.

Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa had the fastest time of 10.87, followed by Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the most-decorated 100m Olympian in history, who clocked-in at 10.92.

"They are women I look up to, so it's really cool, a really unique experience," Tugade said. "I'm very honored, very blessed to be here period."

Tugade, also known as "Gin", is Micronesia's fastest woman. The Navy veteran prepared for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo by running sprints on the flight deck while aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) as a Surface Warrior Officer.

She tells other aspiring athletes, "Just keep working hard and don't stop after high school. There's a lot out there for us if you want it bad enough."

By advancing to a second heat, Regine has made Guam Olympic history, being the first track & field competitor to do so, and only the third Team Guam athlete in any sport to advance past the first round. Judoka Ric Blas, Jr. advanced in his tournament in London in 2012, and Sean Pangelinan made it to the semifinals in canoeing in 2008 in Beijing.