media_artricles :: 2015

Seven TT athletes storm into semi-finals

After a shabby start to their IAAF World Championships campaign in Beijing, China, Trinidad and Tobago’s track stars restored faith in the national contingent as seven athletes stormed into the semi-final rounds of three athletic disciplines.

Newly crowned and returning national sprint queen Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Michelle Lee Ahye and Semoy Hackett all advanced out of their respective women’s 100m heats in convincing style, while 400m specialists Machel Cedenio, Lalonde Gordon and Renny Quow also showed similar form.

Sparkle McKnight completed TT ’s progressing athletes as she also displayed class on the track in the women’s 400m hurdles event.

In the women’s 100m, Ahye topped heat three in a speedy time of 10.98 seconds, outclassing second and third fastest finishers, Bulgarian Ivet Lalova-Collio (11.09s) and Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure (11.10s).

Hackett on the other hand, qualified second fastest in heat five in a time of 11.16s.

She was bettered by Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers (11.01s) and trailed by American Jasmine Todd (11.29s). In heat six, Baptiste continued her remarkable return to the competitive circuit by topping the field in 11.13s. The Tobagonian successfully held off Swiss runner Mujinga Kambundji (11.17s) and Jamaica’s Sherone Simpson (11.22s), who finished second and third fastest respectively.

Altogether, Ahye was fourth fastest of the progressing semi-finalists while Baptiste was 12th and Hackett 15th. The trio will be vying for precious finalist places from 7:40am this morning with Hackett, Baptiste and Ahye all running out of lane seven in heats one, two and three. The final is scheduled to take place at 9.35am today.

In the 400m event, TT ’s latest quarter mile sensation Cedenio, advanced second fastest in heat one, clocking 44.54s. He finished behind USA’s David Verburg (44.43s) and ahead of Belgian Jonathan Borlee (44.67s), and will line up in this morning’s 8:05am semi-final competing out of lane five in heat three. London Olympic Men’s 400m bronze medallist, Gordon, also moved on to the next stage, coming in third fastest (44.97s) in heat four. He was beaten to the line by reigning Olympic champion, Grenadian Kirani James (44.56s) and London Olympic silver medallist, Dominican Republic’s Luguelin Santos (44.62s).

Gordon now faces the starter in lane three of heat two. Additionally, Quow also had his best showing of the season thus far by clocking a speedy 44.54s, placing second best in heat six.

He was bettered South African Wayde Van Niekerk (44.42s) and will also line up in today’s “semi” running out of lane four in heat one.

And in the women’s 400m hurdles event, McKnight showed grit by finishing second fastest in the heat one with a 55.77s clocking.

She trailed heat winner, Jamaican Kaliese Spencer (55.03s), and finished ahead of Swedish sprinter Elise Malmberg (55.97s).

The hurdling quarter- miler will now shift gears to this morning’s 7:10am semi-final where she will fly the red, white and black in lane seven of heat two.

Also in action today (7am) and aiming for his first ever senior World Championship title is reigning Olympic men’s javelin champion, Keshorn Walcott, who will contest the qualifying round of competition as the tenth thrower in Group ‘A’. Walcott is favoured to be among the medals having launched the spear a personal best distance of 90.16m earlier this year.

The Toco-bred field athlete won the World Junior and Olympic titles in 2012 and recently won gold at the Pan Am Games. He is intent on completing a perfect set of international gold medals when qualification action launches off today.

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