media_artricles :: 2016

Ahye, Hackett advance to 200m semis

WORLD 2013 champion Jehue Gordon finished last in his round one heat and did not advance in the men's 400-metre hurdles event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil, yesterday.

Gordon, despite running a season best time of 49.98 seconds at the Olympic Stadium in Rio, could only finish eighth in heat four in hot conditions in Rio. Gordon has held the men's 400m national record since 2013 when he won gold at the World Championships in Moscow in 47.69.

Gordon, who has been struggling with injury in recent times, looked strong in the first 200m but failed to keep up with the rest of the field. Heat four was the most competitive out of the six heats, as six of the eight athletes in the race advanced to the semi-finals. Keisuke Nozawa of Japan won heat four in 48.62. The top three in each heat plus the next six fastest athletes advanced to the semi-finals.

The national women's 200m sprinters had more success as Michelle- Lee Ahye and Semoy Hackett both advanced to the semi-finals of the event. Ahye, who finished sixth in the women's 100m final on Saturday in 10.92, won heat three in 22.50 to cruise into the semi-finals. Earning the next automatic qualification spot in heat three was Jamaican Simone Facey who was second in 22.78. The top two in each of the nine heats plus the next six fastest athletes advanced to the semi-finals. Hackett was made to work harder for her qualification spot finishing second in heat nine in 22.78, behind Edidiong Ofonime Odiong of Bahrain who won the heat in 22.74. Veronica Campbell-Brown, who won gold in the event at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, missed a spot in the semi-finals after finishing third in 22.97.

Also missing a spot in the semi-finals was TT 's Reyare Thomas, finishing fifth in heat one in 22.97. The women's 200m semi-final will take place from 9 pm today, followed by the final at 9.30 pm tomorrow.

Last night after rain delayed heat three of the men's 110m hurdles TT 's Mikel Thomas did not advance to the semi-finals after finishing seventh in 13.68. Only the top four in each of the five heats qualified automatically along with the next four fastest times.

After press time last night TT duo Sparkle McKnight and Janeil Bellille was scheduled to compete in round one of the women's 400m hurdles.

Kyle Greaux will make his Olympic debut for TT in the men's 200m event today. Greaux will line up in lane seven of heat nine from 11.46 am alongside Jamaican star Usain Bolt who will run out of lane five.

In the 10th and final heat TT 's Rondell Sorillo will compete in lane seven from 11.53 am.

Tomorrow, Keshorn Walcott will begin his quest to defend the men's javelin title when he competes in the qualification round from 7.30 pm.

At the 2012 London Olympics Walcott became the second TT athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Hasely Crawford won this country's first gold medal when he won the men's 100m event at the 1976 Montreal Games.

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