Jamaica will look to climb up the medals table at the end of Day Seven of the 18th World Athletics Championships on Thursday with the women’s 100m medallists contesting the 200m final.
The Jamaicans are currently lying in fifth place on the medals table with four, one gold, two silver and a bronze. Hosts The United States of America are run-away leaders.
The women’s 200m final will be the penultimate event on the World Championships program with the men’s equivalent being the final event of the day.
Race favorite, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson will run from Lane Four, with the five-time 100m gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce bolting from Lane Six. Elaine Thompson-Herah, the back-to-back Olympic Games sprint double gold medallist, will run from Lane Two.
Jackson and Fraser-Price enter the event with the two fastest times from the semi-finals with Jackson registering a blistering 21.67 seconds. Fraser-Pryce was equally impressive in a season’s best 21.82 seconds.
Elsewhere, Jordan Scott will contest Group A of the men’s triple jump, Adelle Tracey in Heat One, Chrisann Gordon-Powell in Heat Five and Natoya Goule in Heat Six will begin competition in the women’s 800m.
On Wednesday’s sixth day of competition inside Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Christopher Taylor ran a season’s best 44.97 seconds in semi-final one to finish third and gain the first qualifying spot on time.
In the women’s equivalent, National Champion Candice McLeod ran a season’s best 50.05 seconds to finish second to Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo in a smooth 49.55-second season best, as both claimed the automatic qualifying places from semi-final one.
Also making it into the final was veteran Stephenie Ann McPherson with a 50.56 seconds effort for third place in semi-final two. She qualified as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers on time.
Team Jamaica’s newcomer Charokee Young was fifth in semi-final three in 51.41 seconds which was not good enough to advance to the final.
The women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals resulted in only one Jamaican, Rushell Clayton advancing with a personal best 53.63 seconds. She ended third and advanced as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers on time.
In semi-final one National Champion Janieve Russell ran 54.66 seconds for third place which was not good enough to advance, while Shiann Salmon’s 54.16 seconds for third in semi-final three was also not good enough to make the final.
And in the men’s 800m heats, Jamaica’s National Champion Navasky Anderson ran 1:48.37 minutes in Heat Three but it was not good enough for him to advance to the semi-finals.
QUESTION
Does back-to-back Olympic Games sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah appear the weakest link among the trio attempting a second clean sweep for Jamaica in the women’s 200m World Championships final on Thursday night?
