Jamaica's Brian Levell (left) and Gabby Scott of Puerto Rico.
It was a mixed bag for Caribbean representatives in the Repechage round of the men’s 200m and 400m hurdles and women’s 400m at the Paris Olympic Games, as only two of seven athletes were successful in progressing at the Stade de France on Tuesday.
Of the three Caribbean men in the 200m, only Jamaica’s national champion, Brian Levell, advanced to the semi-final after placing second in heat two in 20.47s, which was good enough for a non-automatic qualifying spot.
Another Jamaican, Andrew Hudson (20.55s), and Bahamian, Ian Kerr (20.60s), placed second and third, respectively, in heat four, but were not quick enough to progress as only the winner from that heat advanced.
In the women’s 400m, Puerto Rico’s Gabby Scott won heat two with a National Record of 50.52s to advance to the semi-finals, while Shaunae Miller-Uibo (53.50s) of the Bahamas was eighth in the same heat.
Earlier, Guyana’s Aliyah Abrams (51.84s) was fifth in heat one and failed to progress.
Meanwhile, Dominican Republic’s Yeral Nunez (53.68s), the lone Caribbean representative in the 400m hurdles, was fifth in his heat and missed out on a spot in the semi-finals.
Jamaican duo Clayton, Salmon through to women's 400m hurdles final; Russell misses out
Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton and Shiann Salmon booked spots in the women’s 400m hurdles final at the Paris Olympic Games following contrasting performances in their respective semi-finals at Stade de France on Tuesday.
Like she has done all season, Clayton went out hard and relaxed somewhat mid-race, before powering home to win semi-final one in a flat 53.00s. She took American Jasmine Jones (53.83s) into the final with her.
American World Record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cruised to victory in semi-final two in 52.13s, ahead of Frenchwoman Louise Maraval (53.83s), while Jamaica’s Janieve Russell (54.65s) battled hard for fourth but missed a spot in the final.
Meanwhile, Salmon ran a well-paced race for third in semi-final three. She stopped the clock in a personal best of 53.13s, which was good for one of the two non-automatic qualifying spots.
The race was won by gold medal favorite Femke Bol of the Netherlands in an easy 52.57s. American Anna Cockrell (52.90s) was second, while Canada’s Savannah Sutherland (53.80s) also progressed as a non-automatic qualifier.
The final is scheduled for Thursday, August 8.
T&T's Richards, Grenada's James into men's 400m final; Jamaican Powell misses out
Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem ‘The Dream’ Richards and Grenada’s Kirani James ensured the Caribbean will have two shots at a medal in the men’s 400m at the Paris Olympic Games, as both progressed to the final after tidy semi-final performances at the Stade de France on Tuesday.
Richards, hunting his first Olympic Games medal, finished second in semi-final one in 44.33s, behind American Quincy Hall, who won in 43.95s.
James, a three-time Olympic medallist in the event, seems poised to add to his tally as he rekindled his form of old with a blistering season’s best 43.78s clocking in winning semi-final two. It was just outside his personal best of 43.74s.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s lone semi-finalist, Jevaughn Powell (44.91s), produced a gallant performance for fourth in semi-final three, but it was not enough to progress.
The other finalists are Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.07s), American Michael Norman (44.26s), and Christopher Bailey (44.31s), as well as Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga (43.81) and Samuel Ogazi (44.71s) of Nigeria.
The final is scheduled for Wednesday August 7.
Grenada’s Peters, T&T’s Walcott into Men's Javelin final
Grenada's Anderson Peters and Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott both advanced to the men's javelin throw finals at the Paris Olympics Games, following contrasting performances at the Stade de France on Tuesday.
While Peters registered a season’s best 88.63m on his first attempt in a one-and-done performance to qualify second from Group B, Walcott, who launched the instrument to 83.02m for sixth in Group A, was made to sweat before he was eventually confirmed as the 11th overall best thrower in the final 12 to contest the medal event.
The fact that Peters effortlessly exceeded the qualification standards to qualify second overall places him in line for a possible podium finish, provided he can replicate or better his qualifying performance. Only India's Neeraj Chopra, who threw a season’s best 89.34m, topped Peters.
Walcott, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, would have welcomed his qualification based on his distance despite not meeting the automatic qualification standard of 84.00m and will no doubt be looking to improve significantly in the final.
The men's javelin throw final is scheduled for August 8.
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