Sprint hurdlers, Knight-Wisdom among Jamaicans in action today
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Freshly minted Olympic 100m champion, Elaine Thompson starts her quest for the sprint double when she lines up in the 200m to lead a host of Jamaicans in action today at the Olympic Stadium.
Thompson, Simone Facey and two-time 200m Olympic champion Veronica Campbell Brown are down for the half-lap event that starts at 7:30 am (Jamaica time).
Thompson, who won silver at the World Championships last year, will be bubbling with confidence after destroying pre-Olympic 200m favourite Dafne Schippers on Saturday in the 100m. She is drawn in lane four of Heat Four.
Veteran Campbell-Brown knows how to fine-tune her preparations for her pet event and should have no difficulty advancing from Heat Nine to the semi-finals. Facey, the Jamaican national champion, is chomping at the bit for some action and should also safely advance from Heat Three.
Triple jumper Clive Pullen is in Group A of the men’s triple jump, scheduled to start at 7:30 am. Pullen will try to follow Kimberly Williams’ lead and advance to the final. His best of 16.90m ranks him 10th in the field of 24 competitors.
Aisha Praught will contest the women’s 3,000m steeplechase at 9:15 am before national 400m hurdle champion Annsert Whyte leads national junior champion Jaheel Hyde and Roxroy Cato into 400m-hurdles battle at 9:35 am.
Shadae Lawrence will strut her stuff in the women’s discus Group A at 6:30 pm, while Tara-Sue Barnett and Kellion Knibb compete in Group B at 7:50 pm.
In the evening session at 6:40, Men’s 110m hurdles favourite Omar McLeod, along with Andrew Riley and Duece Carter will enter the fray. All eyes will be on McLeod, who fell in his last two races. He is drawn in lane two of Heat One, which also has Jeff Porter of the United States of America.
Riley was a late replacement for the injured Hansle Parchment and will be looking to grab his opportunity with both hands. He lines up in Heat Three, while Carter will be in Heat Two along with medal contender Orlando Ortega of Spain.
The promising Janieve Russell, Ristananna Tracey and Leah Nugent take to the track at 7:30 pm in the women’s 400m hurdles. All three are expected to advance.
Jamaica’s Yona Knight-Wisdom will dive into action today in the men’s 3M springboard competition at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre starting at 3:15 pm (1:15 pm Jamaica time).
Knight-Wisdom, 21, is the first Jamaican competing in an Olympic diving event since Betsy Sullivan did so 44 years ago at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
