As each heat was completed, the pressure mounted on the youngster, whose personal best in the 200m stood at 23.05 seconds. Pau watched as, from the very first heat, five runners recorded times considerably faster than his own personal best. Gardiner was among the fastest athletes in the field, having won Olympic gold in the 400m in 2020 and the World Championship title in 2019. He was looking to record one of the fastest times to secure a place in the semi-finals. Gardiner dropping to 18th place immediately after the next heat and seeing him out of contention for the 16 fastest times.