KAZAN, Russia - Bethune-Cookman sprinter Tristie Johnson got off to a great start in her first day of representing USA Track & Field in the World University Games, Tuesday (July 9) at Kazan’s Central Stadium, advancing from round one of the 200m to the event semifinal.

The Wildcats’ sophomore-to-be star sprinter ran a time of 23.90 in the 200m, finishing second in her heat and advancing to Wednesday’s (July 10) two-heat semifinal. Her preliminary time ranks 10th among all runners in the event. Running in the second heat, Johnson is scheduled to run at 6:35 p.m. local time (Moscow Standard Time - MSK) on Wednesday (11:45 a.m. in Florida).

“I feel good going to the next round,” Johnson said. “My hamstring is not that bad right now but hopefully it’s not raining again.”

“To advance to the final round, I need to get my start right on reacting faster,” Johnson added. “The way they do it is confusing, but long as I react and cover what I practice, I should be OK.”

To advance to the Wednesday’s final, Johnson will need to finish in the top two of her heat or finish with one of the top two non-qualifying times. Among the competition in her semifinal heat, Johnson holds the second fastest preliminary time in the heat. The 200m final is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time.

After starting as a candidate for the 4 x 100m when she came aboard with USATF for the meet, Johnson has also worked her way into serious contention to join the relay squad in semifinal action on Thursday (July 11) at 6:35 p.m. local time. The final team is yet to be set.