media_artricles :: 2018

Spinks, Lewis advance to 100m semis

T&T sprint duo Jenea Spinks and Akilah Lewis reached the semifinal round in the Women's 100 metres at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, yesterday.

Both runners were automatic qualifiers from their respective races, with Spinks moving on after placing third in the opening heat in a time of 11.58 seconds and Lewis in heat three, crossing fourth in 11.67.

Today in the semifinals, Lewis, who enters with a season' best (sb) time of 11.51, also her personal best (pb), will be on track first in the second heat running out of lane seven.

Spinks, whose pb and sb is 11.45 seconds, will be in lane three in the third and final heat.

If either can be among the first two finishers in each race or clock the next fastest time, they will advance to the final set to run-off later on.

In the Men's 100m, Tyrell Edwards did not make it to final after placing fifth in 10.55 in the third semifinal heat. Later in the medal race, Lalu Muhammed Zohri of Indonesia bettered his country national U-20record of 10.18 to win gold while Americans Anthony Schwartz (10.22) and Eric Harrison (10.22-pb), to cop the silver and bronze, respectively.

Earlier in the Men's 400m heats, Onal Mitchell placed sixth with a 47.77-clocking in heat five, not progressing to the next round.

Ianna Roach suffered a similar fate in the women's shot put. The junior "Sportswoman of the Year" failed to register a mark in her three attempts.

Today, Timothy Fredericks will chase glory in the Men's 200m events after failing to make it out of the first round in the 100m dash on Tuesday. Fredericks, who has clocked a personal and season's best time of 20.81, will line up in lane one of the opening heat.

Ako Hislop will also face the starter in the half-lap event, running out of lane three in the third of five heats. Hislop enters with a season's best time of 21.23.

Both T&T will certainly have to lift their performance to challenge the likes of US junior champion Harrison, who enters as the fastest in the field courtesy his pb of 20.39 and South African Thando Dlodlo, who clocked a PB of 20.41 in March at his country's national championship.

Tomorrow, four-time Carifta javelin champion Tyriq Horsford will be in action, competing in the qualification round of the men's javelin event; Iantha Wright will compete in the women's 200m heats, so too the men's 4x100m relay team which include Edwards, Fredericks and Hislop, along with Carlon Hosten, Kion Benjamin and David Pierce. The final for each event will be on Saturday.

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