National record holder Ackera Nugent will be Jamaica’s sole representative in the final of the Olympic Games 100m hurdles after a brutal semi-final round at Stade de France in Paris on Friday.

In what is arguably one of the deepest events in terms of quality in track and field at the Games, the last two World Athletics Championships gold medallists, Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, the world record holder, and Danielle Williams of Jamaica both failed to make it to the medal round.

Nugent could only muster third in her semi-final heat, in 12.44 seconds (-0.7m /s), and advanced on time as defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico won with 12.35 seconds and world leader Masai Russell of the USA placed second with 12.42 seconds to get the two automatic spots.

France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela, who was fourth in 12.52 seconds, also advanced on time.

Williams, the two time world champion, hit the second hurdle in the first semi-final and was thrown off her rhythm and hit a second barrier before finishing sixth in 12.82 seconds.

Janeek Brown, a World Championships finalist in 2019, ran 12.92 seconds in her heat, finishing seventh and failed to make progress.

-Paul A Reid