Paris, France — Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson led his teammates Oblique Seville and Akeem Blake into the semi-finals of the men’s 100m, following a smooth passage through the heats at the Paris Olympic Games on Saturday.
The trio showcased their prowess inside the Stade de France, with Thompson setting the tone in the first heat.
Thompson, who holds the world’s fastest time this year at 9.77 seconds, comfortably won his heat in 10 seconds flat. Despite a delayed start due to a false start protest by Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, Thompson maintained his composure and cruised to victory, securing his spot in the semi-finals.
Seville also delivered a commanding performance in heat four, clocking 9.99 seconds. He was closely followed by Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, who finished in 10.02 seconds, pushing Seville to a slightly faster effort.
In heat six, Blake finished second to South Africa’s Akani Simbine, with times of 10.03 and 10.06 seconds, respectively. The heat featured four Caribbean athletes, including the British Virgin Islands’ Rikkoi Brathwaite, who finished third in 10.13 seconds, and Wanya McCoy of the Bahamas, who placed fifth in 10.24 seconds.
Other notable performances
Notable performances from other heats included Noah Lyles, who finished second in his heat with a time of 10.04 seconds, behind Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe, who clocked 9.98 seconds. Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala won heat two in 10.08 seconds, and defending Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy was second in his heat with 10.05 seconds, behind Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi (10.02 seconds).
American Kenneth Bednarek led heat five with a time of 9.97 seconds, narrowly beating Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon (9.98 seconds) and Canada’s Andre De Grasse (10.07 seconds). Fred Kerley of the USA easily won the final heat in 9.97 seconds, ahead of Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (10.01 seconds) and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.03 seconds).
The semi-finals on Sunday will feature Seville facing off against Lyles, Hinchliffe, and Eseme in the first semi-final. Blake, Tebogo, Jacobs, Simbine, and Bednarek will compete in the second, while Thompson, Kerley, De Grasse, Omanyala, Hughes, and Sani Brown will battle in a highly competitive third semi-final.
The top two from each heat, along with the two fastest losers, will advance to the final, scheduled to conclude Day Four Sunday at 9:30 pm (3:30 pm EST).
In another event with Jamaican interest, Adelle Tracey struggled in the women’s 800m Repechage Round, finishing fifth in her heat with a time of 2:03.67 minutes. Recovering from a recent injury, Tracey’s performance was below her best. However, she remains hopeful for a stronger showing in the 1500m event, which begins on Tuesday morning.
