Birmingham, England – Twice Olympic Games double sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah leads a trio of Jamaica women into Wednesday’s semi-finals of the 100m here inside the Alexander Stadium at the 22nd Commonwealth Games.
Thompson-Herah won heat two in 10.99 seconds, with teammate Natalliah Whyte taking heat six in 11.31 seconds and Remona Burchell claiming second place in heat seven in 11.46 seconds behind St Kitts and Nevis’ Julien Alfred in 11.24 seconds.
For the men, Kemar Bailey-Cole was second in heat four in 10.15 seconds, and Conroy Jones, first in heat eight in 10.28 seconds, advanced to Wednesday’s semi-finals. However, there was no such luck for Nigel Ellis who clocked 10.41 seconds for third place in heat two and was eliminated in a race won by Akani Simbine (10.10 seconds) of South Africa.
The women’s and men’s 100m finals will close out Wednesday’s track and field programme at Alexander Stadium.
All three 110m hurdlers advanced with ease to the semi-finals. Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist Hansle Parchment won heat one in 11.33 seconds ahead of teammate Orlando Bennett in 11.40 seconds. Barbados’s Shane Brathwaite, who finished fourth in 13.42 seconds, advanced as one of the fastest losers.
In the second heat, Rasheed Broadbell made easy progress in a season’s best 13.16 seconds to ensure three Jamaicans qualify for the final.
Defending champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd with a best throw of 18.42m and LLoydricria Cameron (16.61m) progressed to Wednesday’s final of the women’s shot put.
Traves Smikle (64.90m) leads all throwers in the men’s discus final where he will be joined by teammate Roje Stona (58.35m), while Shawn-D Thompson (7.85m) is through to the final of the long jump, along with Laquan Nairn (7.90m) of the Bahamas, Ifeanyichukwu Otuonye, the Nigerian-born representing the Turks and Caicos Islands (season’s best 7.65m), Trinidad and Tobago’s Andwuelle Wright (7.58m) and Emanuel Archibald of Guyana (7.83m).
Natoya Goule made light work of her heat two of the women’s 800m, winning in 1:58.39 minutes to ease into the final.
Jamaican para-athletes Shane Hudson and Jonathan Ferguson, though being 400m specialists, advanced to the final of the T45-47 100m final where they finished sixth and seventh (11.72 and 11.73 seconds, respectively).
They had advanced as fourth-place finishers from the preliminary heats. Hudson had timed a personal best of 11.57 seconds and Ferguson, 11.67 seconds.
England’s Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker won in a personal best and games record 10.94 seconds.
On Wednesday, Junelle Bromfield (heat one), Tiffany James (heat two) and Roneisha McGregor will contest the opening round of the women’s 400m, where Barbados’ Sada Williams is expected to challenge for gold.
Navasky Anderson will contest heat two of the first round of the men’s 800m, while Romaine Beckford will contest the men’s high jump final.
Anthony Cox (heat one), Nathon Allen (heat two) and Jevaughn Powell (heat five) will vie for honours in the men’s 400m round one.
