media_artricles :: 2013

NOT CLOSE ENOUGH

T&T athletes miss out on finals

Mikel Thomas came close to eliminating Olympic champion and world record holder Aries Merritt, and advancing to the IAAF World Championship men’s 110 metres hurdles final, at the Luzhniki Stadium here in Moscow, Russia, yesterday.

Instead, it was Thomas who exited the event in the semifinal round, the Trinidad and Tobago athlete finishing fourth in the first semifinal heat. The top three booked lanes in the final automatically, and Thomas’ 13.46 seconds clocking was not fast enough to earn him a “fastest loser” berth

Thomas was quickly out of the blocks, while Merritt had a horrible start. But the American caught Thomas late in the race, copping third spot in 13.44

Three-hundredths of a second faster and Thomas would have snatched the third automatic qualifying berth up for grabs in the opening semi

Wayne Davis II also exited in the penultimate round of the event. The T&T sprint hurdler finished seventh in the second semifinal in 13.47 seconds

Davis described the result as a “huge disappointment”

“I wasn’t running my race. I got out of my rhythm, and once I did that my body position was wrong the entire race.”

David Oliver produced a dominant run in the final, claiming gold in 13 seconds flat. His fellow American, Ryan Wilson seized silver in 13.13, while bronze went to Russian Sergey Shubenkov (13.24)

T&T quarter-milers, Jarrin Solomon and Deon Lendore were eliminated at the semi-final stage of the men’s 400m

Solomon finished fourth in the third and final heat in 45.43 seconds. Grenada’s reigning world and Olympic champion Kirani James won the race in 44.81, ahead of Dominican Republic’s Luguelin Santos in 44.83, both athletes qualifying for today’s final automatically. Czech Republic’s Pavel Maslak was third in 44.84—a new national record. He advanced as a “fastest loser”

“I went hard,” Solomon told the Express. “It was a good run. It just wasn’t my day.”

In the second semi-final, Lendore copped fourth spot in 45.47 seconds. American LaShawn Merritt topped the heat in 44.60, beating Belgium’s Jonathan Borlee (44.85) into second spot. Veteran Bahamian Chris Brown (45.18) finished third

Lendore told the Express that his busy competition schedule for Texas A&M University took a toll on his body

“All those 400s I’ve been running in college, barely getting days off, it adds up, and you’ll feel it sooner or later.”

Michelle-Lee Ahye exited the women’s 100m event in the semis, the T&T sprinter finishing fifth in the first heat in 11.33 seconds

“I really got to work on my start,” Ahye told the Express, after the race

“Those first five steps are horrible. Once I fix that start,” the 21-year-old declared, “that would be it for everybody.”

In the championship race, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce bolted to victory, the Jamaican scorching the Mondo track in 10.71 seconds to regain the title she had captured in 2009. Ivory Coast sprinter Murielle Ahoure and American Carmelita Jeter earned silver and bronze, respectively, clocking 10.93 and 10.94

At 11.40 this morning (T&T time), Jehue Gordon will be on the track, bidding for a lane in the men’s 400m hurdles final

The T&T athlete emerged victorious in the fifth and final first round heat, yesterday, crossing the line in 49.52 seconds. Jamaica’s Isa Phillips secured the runner-up spot in 49.57, while the other two automatic qualifying berths for the semifinal round went to Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (49.63) and Puerto Rican Eric Alejandro (49.79)

Great Britain’s reigning world champion David Greene (49.79) and Brazilian Mahau Suguimati (50.00) were fifth and sixth, respectively, but progressed as “fastest losers”

Gordon told the Express he had to put out more than he expected in the last quarter of the race

“I didn’t want to get a third or a fourth place and qualify barely, and get lane one or something (in the semis). I had to make sure I was at least in the top two.

Gordon has been drawn in the first of three semi-final heats

Yesterday, Sparkle McKnight was eliminated in the opening round of the women’s 400m hurdles. The T&T athlete struggled out in lane eight in the third heat, crossing the line eighth in 58.85 seconds. McKnight was later promoted to seventh, following the disqualification of Sri Lanka’s Christine Merrill

“I wanted to make the next round,” McKnight told the Express, “but I had a long season. The next time I’ll definitely be in medal contention.”

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