Katarina Johnson-Thompson is on the brink of a stunning heptathlon gold at the World Championships.

The 30-year-old is fighting to reclaim her world crown from 2019 and holds a 26-point lead ahead of the final 800m on Sunday night in Budapest.

It would represent a remarkable comeback from Johnson-Thompson after a ruptured Achilles in 2020 and a calf injury at the Tokyo Olympics which forced her to quit after day one.

A leap of 6.54m in the long jump on Sunday morning put her into the lead, 19 points ahead of the United States’ Anna Hall.

She launched a personal best of 46.14m in the javelin which extended her lead as Hall dropped to third.

The Netherlands’ Anouk Vetter, last year’s silver medallist, is Johnson-Thompson’s nearest challenger, with defending champion Nafi Thiam having pulled out before the championships with an Achilles problem.

Johnson-Thompson has run two minutes 12.40 seconds in the 800m this year while Vetter’s personal best is five seconds slower. Hall has run two minutes 02.97secs this year but is reportedly carrying an injury.

Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita opened their 100m challenge with minimum fuss in Hungary.

Neita, in heat one, ran 11.03secs while Asher-Smith followed her in heat two to clock 11.04s.

Defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran 11.01s with the USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson qualifying fastest in 10.92s.

Britain’s Matt Hudson-Smith, who won bronze last year, reached the 400m semi-finals after coming second in his heat behind 2016 Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk.

He said: “I just wanted the qualifier and to get through to the semis as comfortably as possible so I have got the job done. There is so much left in the tank but I know I am going to have to fight.

“I’ve got both my legs back. Everyone keeps talking about Steve (Gardiner) and Wayde but I’m not here for participation, I’m here to get a medal. I’ve got both my legs back and I’m here to win.”

Victoria Ohuruogu and Ama Pipi also reached the women’s 400m semi final.

Ohuruogu said: “I’m looking for a medal – I’ve got to aim big. Last year was about the final and people might say I was unrealistic but I was a bit gutted with that so I have clear aims this year, a medal being what I am aiming for.”

Jamaican hearts were crushed on Sunday morning when Rasheed Broadbell, the national champion and fastest in the world this year in the 110m hurdles, crashed out of the competition during the preliminary rounds on Sunday.

Broadbell, who just missed out on the finals in Eugene, Oregon in 2022, after hitting several hurdles during the semi-finals, hit the ninth hurdle, crashed into the 10th and fell, thus ending his chances of challenging for the world title.

Jamaica’s chances of medal now rest on Hansle Parchment, the Olympic champion, who had better fortunes winning his heat in 13.30 ahead of Spanish hurdler Enrique Llopis, who ran a season’s best 13.33 for second place.

Rising French star Sasha Zhoya was third in 13.35 with Cordell Lynch of the USA also advancing after finishing fourth in 13.49.

Two-time world champion Grant Holloway won his heat in 13.18. Also advancing from the heat were Milan Trajovic of Cyprus (13.33), Eduardo Rodriques of Brazil (13.37) and Jaspon Joseph of Switzerland (13.38).

Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett also advanced even after finishing fifth in 13.39.

Also through to the semi-finals are Great Britain’s Tade Ojora,  Japan’s Shunya Takayama, USA’s Daniel Roberts, Sweden’s Max Hrelja and France’s Just Kwaou-Mathey.

Defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Julien Alfred all turned in impressive opening runs to advance to the semi-finals of the Women’s 100m dash at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday.

American upstart Sha’Carri Richardson and the ever-improving Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast also demonstrated their immense talents setting up what is expected to be an intense semi-final round and an electrifying final on Monday.

Fraser-Pryce, who is going for a record-extending sixth world 100m title allayed fears about the impact of her injured knee, blasted out of the blocks but did not engage the after-burners as she cruised through the line in 11.01.

Swiss champion Mujinga Kambundji who has had her own issues with injury this season, came in second in 11.08. New Zealand’s fastest woman Zoe Hobbs advanced to the semis finishing third in 11.14.

 In similar fashion, Jackson the 2022 silver medalist, cruised to victory in Heat 4 in 11.06. Trinidad and Tobago’s veteran Michelle Lee Ahye took second place in a season’s best 11.16 with Germany’s Gina Lukenkemper third in 11.21.

Alfred, the NCAA champion, shook off her rust by winning her heat in 10.99 while holding off Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, who clocked 11.03 for second place. Gambia’s Gina Bass was third in 11.10.

Meanwhile, the USA’s gold medal hopeful ShaCarri Richardson cruised to an easy win in her heat stopping the clock in 10.92 with Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison 11.02 trailing in her wake. Italy’s Daynab Dosso ran a national record 11.14 to finish third and also advance to the semi-finals.

Ta Lou, who has run a lifetime best of 10.75 this season, let it known that she has no intention of being a bridesmaid at these championships, when she cruised to an easy time of 11.08 to win her heat ahead of Jamaica’s Sashalee Forbes, who clocked in at 11.12.

Buoyed by the cheers of her home crowd, Hungary’s Boglárka Takacs, finished third in 11.18.

Britanny Brown of the USA won her heat in 11.01 ahead of Great Britain's medal hopeful Dina Asher-Smith and Jaël Bestue of Spain who clocked 11.28.

Polish sprint star Ewa Swoboda also turned in an impressive performance storming to a 10.98 run to win her heat ahead of the USA’s Tamari Davis (11.06) and N'Ketia Seedo of the Netherlands, who clocked in at 11.11, a new personal best.

 

 

Kyron McMasters of the British Virgin Islands as well as Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke and Jaheel Hyde advanced to the semi-final round of the 400m hurdles during the opening session of the second day of action at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday.

McMaster, the two-time Commonwealth Games champion, won the second of the five heats in 48.47 ahead of Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.58) and the USA’s Trevor Bassit, who clocked in at 48.74. Kenya’s Wiseman Were Mukhobe was the final automatic qualifier from the heat when he finished fourth in 49.10.

Clarke, 19, who equaled the World U20 record of 47.85 at Jamaican national championships in July, was the fastest of the Caribbean men to advance, clocking 48.39 while finishing third in Heat 4 of the preliminary round.

The heat was won by Germany’s Joshua Abuaku in 48.47 ahead of Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.58) and the USA’s Trevor Bassit, who clocked in at 48.74. Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel was fourth in a personal best of 48.47.

Hyde finished second in his heat, the last of the five, in 48.63. Rai Benjamin of the USA won the heat in 48.35 with Japan’s Kazuki Kurokawa third in 48.71, a season’s best. Costa Rica’s Gerald Drummond was the other automatic qualifier in 48.73.

Also through were medal favourites Karsten Warholm, the Olympic champion and world record holder and Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos, who clocked 48.76 and 48.12, respectively.

 

 

In what was a demonstration of Caribbean excellence and depth of talent Steven Gardiner, the 2019 world champion, 2011 champion Kirani James and Jamaicans Sean Bailey, Antonio Watson and Zandrian Barnes all advanced to the semi-final round of the 400m during Sunday’s opening session on day two of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago and St Lucia’s Michael Joseph also advanced to the next round of competition.

Gardiner, who was unable to defend his title in Eugene, Oregon in 2022, due to injury, indicated that he was ready to claim his second world title, cruising to victory in the opening heat in 44.65. Japan’s Kentaro Sato was the runner-up in the heat in a national record of 44.77. Hungary’s Attila Molnar also set a national record of 44.84 to finish third.

Josephs of St Lucia was fifth in 45.04 and advanced as one of the next sixth fastest after the three automatic qualifiers from each heat.

Wayde van Neikerk, the world record holder, ran 44.57 to win Heat 2 in which Alonzo Russell of the Bahamas was sixth in 46.95. He failed to advance.

Richards, Trinidad and Tobago’s best hope of an individual medal at these championships, eased to a third-place finish in Heat 3 in 45.15 to automatically qualify for the next round. Norways’s Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen won the heat in a national record of 44.39 with the USA’s Vernon Norwood trailing in for second place in 44.87.

Grenada’s James, whose coach Harvey Glance died during his final weeks of preparation leading into these championships, won Heat 4 in 44.91. Japan’s Fuga Sato clocked a personal best of 44.97 to finish ahead of Bailey, who finished in 44.98.

Watson comfortably won Heat 5 in 44.77 ahead of the USA’s Quincy Hall, who clocked in at 44.86. Japan’s Yuki Joseph Nakajima was the next automatic qualifier from the heat when he finished third in 45.15.

Barnes was third in the final heat running 45.05 to automatically qualify. His heat was won by Bayapo Ndori of Botswana in 44.72 with Belgium’s Alexander Doom finishing in second place in a personal best 44.92.

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Defending women’s champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, five months removed from the birth of her first child, failed to advance to the semi-final round of the 400m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday.

The Bahamian star finished seventh in Heat 3 in 52.65. The 2022 bronze medallist Sada Williams of Barbados won the heat in 50.78 to keep her quest alive for another global medal in the one-lap sprint.

Meanwhile, all three Jamaicans advanced to the semi-final round of the competition. Jamaican champion Nickisha Price comfortably won Heat 4 in 50.38 over Cuba’s Roxana Gomez, who eased to second place in 50.86 and Gabby Scott of Puerto Rico, who was also an automatic qualifier, finishing third in a season’s best time of 51.07.

Candice McLeod was third in the opening heat in 50.37 to earn her place in the semi-final round. That heat was won by medal favourite Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland in an impressive 50.02. Cynthia Bolingo of Belgium ran a season’s best 50.29 to advance.

Charokee Young, meantime, sneaked into the next round as one of the sixth fastest finishers, when she ended up sixth in the sixth and final heat won by gold medal favourite Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic in a smart time of 49.90.

Young struggled to a time of 51.24.

Guyana’s Aliyah Abrahams was not as fortunate. She ran 51.44 to finish fifth in Heat 5 and failed to advance. Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, who recently signed a professional contract, won the heat in 50.80.

 

Reece Prescod has accused UK Athletics of emotional blackmail after his last-minute exit from Great Britain’s relay squad.

The 27-year-old will not race in the 4×100 metres in Budapest after pulling out on the eve of the World Championships this week.

Prescod claims he was told his reputation would suffer if he walked out of the squad but feels he had no option after suffering a hip injury in relay training three weeks ago.

The 2018 100m European silver medallist also revealed he was told he would not be part of the relay set-up in January, only to get a call asking him to return in July.

“The dust needs to settle for a little bit because some of the conversations that I had weren’t necessarily the most pleasant conversations,” he said, after qualifying for Sunday’s 100m semi-final in 10.14 seconds.

“They weren’t very nice and I was a bit upset about some of the conversations. It just wasn’t a nice environment to be in. I had a few different meetings on occasions and it kind of felt a little bit like emotional blackmail a little bit.

“I was kind of like ‘I don’t want to let down the country’ and they (UKA) were like ‘you know your reputation is going to be ruined if you do this.’

“It’s been quite hard, dealing with all the press and all the negativity. I’ve felt quite isolated at these championships if I’m being honest. I’ve felt quite distant from the team.

“But I’ve just had to say ‘you know what Reece, just get as far as you can in these championships and afterwards sit down with (Stephen) Maguire (technical director).'”

Prescod helped Great Britain to world 4x100m bronze in Eugene last year, just his second major senior medal.

He added: “There was a lot of pressure from the federation. It’s not that I didn’t want to be part of the team. I love the boys but I didn’t want to risk hurting myself.

“If I hurt myself in an exchange three weeks ago, for me to do exactly the same thing might potentially compromise running around the bend. So that was the kind of moral of the whole story.

(It’s come from the) hierarchy, if I am being honest. The other athletes are very supportive.”

Zharnel Hughes, Jona Efoloko, Adam Gemili, Jeremiah Azu and Eugene Amo-Dadzie remain part of the squad. British Athletics declined to comment.

What started out as a dream debut for Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell, ended in disappointment, as he was unable to express himself in the men’s shot put final on Saturday’s opening day of the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Campbell, the Jamaican national champion and record holder at 22.22m, made the final with a mark of 20.83m on his third attempt during qualifying, but again struggled to get going.

However, unlike he did in qualifying, Campbell was unable to recover and failed to register a mark when it mattered most.

The event was won by American defending champion Ryan Crouser, who launched the instrument to a Championship Record 23.51m on his final attempt to stamp his authority on the event. He had earlier registered 22.98m in the second round, which already had the gold medal won.

Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri, with a new personal best 22.34m, snatched silver from the other American Joe Kovacs (21.59m).

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Reigning national champion Traves Smikle and 2019 World Championships silver medalist Fedrick Dacres both made it through to the final of the men’s discus throw on day one of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday.

Smikle had the fourth furthest throw in qualifying with 65.71m while Dacres threw 65.45m to qualify with the seventh farthest throw. Roje Stona, who finished second at the Jamaican Trials, had a best throw of 62.67m to finish 20th overall.

Swedish World and Olympic Champion, Daniel Stahl, led all qualifiers with 66.25mwhile Mykolas Alekna (66.04m) and Kristjan Ceh (65.95m).

Katarina Johnson-Thompson refused to get carried away despite remaining in gold medal contention at the World Championships.

The 2019 world heptathlon champion sits second, 93 points adrift of leader Anna Hall, after the first day in Budapest.

She still faces a battle to return to the global podium with the United States’ Chari Hawkins just five points behind and team-mate Taliyah Brooks a further 13 points adrift.

But, after an Achilles rupture in 2020, Johnson-Thompson remains cautiously optimistic.

She said: “I’m just seeing what I can do. Who would have predicted today?

“Sport is so unpredictable and especially heptathlon. That’s why I don’t like trying to think about what’s going to happen in the future. I’m just trying to take each event as it comes.

“It’s really close behind me as well. All I need to do is just keep knocking on the door, stay in the flow and who knows what can happen?

“I just want a medal. I’m definitely in amongst it.”

A storm postponed the action by an hour in the morning and forced Johnson-Thompson to wait.

The 30-year-old ran 13.50 seconds in her 100 metres hurdles heat, before clearing 1.86m in the high jump.

It left her fourth overall with 2104 points – 41 adrift of leader Hall – before the evening session.

A best of 13.64m in the shot put dropped her to joint fifth before victory in her 200m heat in 23.48s boosted her medal hopes heading into the second day.

She added: “Today has been one of the most gruelling days of heptathlon I’ve ever experienced. We are all feeling it and we’re all talking to each other and asking, why are we so tired?

“I think it was the delay, waking up at six, warming up and then being told ‘no, stop.'”

Zharnel Hughes, the fastest man in the world this year, clocked 10 seconds in his 100m heat ahead of Sunday’s semi-finals and final.

Hughes, the British 100m and 200m record holder, won his race while Reece Prescod, who pulled out of the relay squad earlier this week, qualified in third in his heat.

Eugene Amo-Dadzie, an accountant who is due back to work once the Championships finish, was second in his heat on his Great Britain debut.

The 31-year-old has taken annual leave to compete in Budapest and returns to work as a senior management accountant for property developer Berkeley Group on August 29.

“I’m on the world stage. I say to people who don’t really know track and field ‘I’m at the World Cup of athletics’ and they’re like ‘OK’,” he said, after running 10.10s.

“For me, that’s incredible because this is beyond a dream. I didn’t grow up dreaming to do this but, by the grace of God, I found myself doing this.

“I’ve had a lot of support from all the different accountant bodies. They’re like ‘yo, you’re putting accountants on the map’. We’re not just these boring stiff squares sat at the office typing away.”

Great Britain captain Laura Muir, who has endured a disrupted year after splitting from long-term coach Andy Young in March, was second in her 1500m heat in the morning session.

She clocked four minutes 03.50 seconds behind the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan.

Kenya’s defending champion Faith Kipyegon remains the overwhelming favourite and won her heat in 4:02.62.

Great Britain’s Katie Snowden and Melissa Courtney-Bryant also progressed to Sunday’s semi final.

Muir said: “Job done, I wanted to qualify with as little drama as possible.

“I was a little disappointed we weren’t in the rain. I would have been happy to crack on but I know there’s a lot of electrical equipment and technical equipment and the rain doesn’t suit everybody.

“It’s a fast track, I think it’ll be an exciting champs. As soon as I did a couple of strides it felt nice. There’s always a bit of scrapping and spiking but I felt comfortable.

“I saw Sifan go past and I was expecting that but I was scared she would go and everyone would come. I kept looking up and saw there was a gap.”

In the men’s 1500m Josh Kerr, who won Olympic bronze in Tokyo, Neil Gourley and Elliot Giles all reached Sunday’s semis, with last year’s world champion Jake Wightman out with injury.

Jazmin Sawyers, the European indoor champion, finished 22nd in qualifying to miss out on the long jump final with a best of just 6.41m.

Teenage sensation Jaydon Hibbert safely advanced to the final of the men’s triple jump on day one of the IAAF World Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday.

The 18-year-old NCAA Indoor and Outdoor champion and record holder opened his qualifying series with a 16.99 effort before booking his spot in the final with a massive 17.70m in the second round.

That distance is the fourth furthest jump in the world this year and the second furthest of his career, trailing only his world leading and world junior record 17.87m done at the SEC Outdoor Championships in May.

Hibbert will enter Monday's final as one of the big favorites for gold, especially after the withdrawal of Olympic champion, Pedro Pablo Pichardo, on the eve of the championships.

 

 

Dina Asher-Smith believes she is racing in the “golden age” of women’s sprinting.

The 27-year-old is ready to start her World Championships campaign in Budapest.

Asher-Smith, who finished fourth in the 100m at the Worlds last year despite equalling her British record of 10.83 seconds, and Daryll Neita race in the 100m heats on Sunday.

They are aiming to challenge Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson, who completed a clean sweep of the medals in Eugene 13 months ago. Asher-Smith took 200m bronze behind Jackson and Fraser-Pryce.

“I definitely do think we’re in like a golden age,” said Asher-Smith. “It will be remembered as kind of like a (Usain) Bolt era but on the side of the women’s, and far more competitive. There are a lot of women in that arena.

“You say Shelley-Ann and Elaine would be like, ‘ah?’ Then even this year, Shericka will be like, ‘er?’ There are just so many.

“I feel like when there’s so many people running fast, there’s no point thinking about other people. You’ve just got to focus on yourself.

“If you start focusing on one or two, you’ll forget about the other seven, who are also incredibly quick. There’s lots of very, very talented and very experienced women racing.

“I think we have one of the strongest and what will hopefully be the most exciting events of this World Championships.

“There’s a lot of depth. All you can do is focus on yourself, right? That’s all I can do. I can only control myself. So that’s kind of what I am doing.”

Neita, who along with Asher-Smith is also running in the 200m and 4x100m relay, goes into the Championships ranked seventh in the world in both individual events.

She said: “I’m feeling very confident. It’s going to be the first time I’m doing two events and then onto the relay as well. So it’s very different this year, because I’m normally going for the 100 metres, which is we know is stacked.

“Failing to make the final at worlds last year was very bittersweet, running the fastest ever semi-final not to make it.

“The 200m is still a pretty new event for me but I’m feeling very confident and I’m just going there this year, very relaxed, not putting too much pressure on myself, but just really want to have fun and execute and just achieve as well as I can.”

There were no surprises, as Jamaica’s trio of Oblique Seville, Rohan Watson and Ryiem Forde all secured their spot in the men’s 100 metres semi-finals, along with Guyana’s Emanuel Archibald, after all safely navigated their respective heats on the opening day of the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.

After a series of delays and false starts, Seville, who just missed the podium in Eugene, ran a comfortable race from lane seven in heat five and stopped the clock in 9.86s, which equalled his personal best.

The 22-year-old, who was the fastest qualifier across all seven heats, won ahead of one of the gold medal favourites in American Fred Kerley, who cruised to 9.99s. Belize’s Brandon Jones, who was also in the heat, placed seventh in 10.95s.

Seville pointed out that he had no concerns about the delays, as the experience gained over the years prepared him for what transpired.

“It is something that happens often in Jamaica, so it actually prepared me for now on the big stage. It was just for me to go out and execute and run a good time, I didn’t expect it but my coach did because he told me I am in the best of shape, so it was just for me to go out there and do what I have to,” Seville said shortly after performance.

Jamaica’s national championship Watson recovered from a slight stumble at the start to place second in the following heat.

He clocked 10.11s, behind Japan’s Sani Brown, who clocked a season’s best 10.07s, with Italy’s Lamonth Jacobs, also finishing in a season’s best 10.15s, as he continues to work his way back to form.

British Virgin Islands Rikkoi Brathwaite (10.18s) and Terrence Jones (10.32s) of Bahamas, fifth and sixth respectively in the same heat.

Earlier, another Jamaican Forde, also comfortably secured his spot, clocking 10.01s for second behind Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, who clocked a flat 10.00s in winning heat one.

Favourite Noah Lyles was the second fastest in qualifying, as he stormed to 9.95s in heat two, with the powerfully built Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (9.97s), joining him.

Meanwhile, Antigua and Barbuda’s Cejhae Greene (10.23s) missed out on the semi-finals after placing sixth in heat four, which was won by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo in 10.11s.

Guyana’s Emanuel Archibald, who ran earlier this morning to progress to the heats, successfully went one step further as he booked his spot in the semi-finals.

Archibald was given joint third with a time of 10.20s, along with Japan’s Hiroki Yanagita, behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who won the final heat in 9.97s, just edging American Cristian Coleman (9.98s).

The semi-finals are scheduled for Sunday at 9:35am Jamaica time.

 

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Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith successfully made it through to the final of the women’s long jump on day one of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday.

Smith, who came into the championships as the world leader with 7.08m, was in a spot of bother after fouling her first two jumps before producing 6.78m in the third and final round of the preliminaries to advance with the fourth furthest jump of the morning.

“I know I got a little bit close for the first one and the second one, I over-pushed but I’m really glad I got it down on my third attempt,” Smith said after the prelims.

The Texas star says she’s confident heading into the final.

“I’m pretty confident. I know my abilities. As long as I get it right, I should be up there so I’m not too worried.”

The qualifiers for tomorrow’s final were led by American champion Tara Davis-Woodhall (6.87m), Burkina Faso’s Marthe Koala (6.84m) and Italy’s Larissa Iapichino (6.73m).

Jamaica’s other competitor in the event, national champion Tissanna Hickling, produced a best distance of 6.29m to finish 30th overall.

The final is scheduled for Sunday at 9:55am Jamaica Time.

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It was mission accomplished for Jamaica’s middle-distance runner Adelle Tracey, who booked her spot in the women’s 1,500 metres semi-finals following an efficient execution in the heats on the opening day of the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.

The Great Britain-born Tracey, running in the final of four heats, finished fifth in 4:03.67 to take one of the six automatic spots through to the semi-final scheduled for Sunday at 10:05am.

Tracey, 30, ran her usual patient race in mid-pack of the 13-athlete field, before gradually pushing closer to the leaders and remained comfortable from there.

Though she ran into traffic problems which forced her wide on the bell lap when the top six was tightly bunched, Tracey said it didn’t affect her much, as she was always focused on taking the safest route.

“It was just that everybody was trying to run to make sure they are safe so there was a little bit of hustling. I think sometimes you just have to play it safe, and I have been training well, so I knew that going wide was okay to do if it meant that I had a clear run and could really work into the line to make sure I got that spot,” Tracey explained.

“I am happy to go through easily and qualify to the next round, it was great, very happy to tick a box and get that qualifying spot,” she added.

Due back on the track in several hours for what will an event more competitive semi-final run, the cheerful athlete is intent on making the most of the short break.

“Now it’s just about recovery and getting as much rest as I need, get some treatment and ice bath until the next round,” Tracey noted.

 

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