Gold medallists Bol and Alfred take big early morning steps to second titles in Paris

For two newly-minted Olympic gold medallists, Femke Bol and Julien Alfred, the morning after the night before proved highly promising on Sunday (4) as both progressed towards the goal of a second title at the Paris 2024 Games.

Bol, whose routinely miraculous last-leg effort in the 4x400m mixed team had taken the Netherlands from fourth to first, topped the qualifiers in the 400m hurdles, where her great United States rival, defending champion and world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, moved on to Wednesday’s semi-finals by winning her heat in 53.60.

Both of these marvels of the modern athletics age have plenty to spare as they gear up for what promises to be an Olympic showdown for the ages.

Alfred, St Lucia’s first Olympic medallist after winning the women’s 100m title, was back in early action as she won the opening heat of the 200m in 22.41.

Her prospects of matching the Olympic double achieved at the past two Games by Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah – sadly absent from Paris with an achilles tendon injury – were not harmed by the unhappy news that Jamaica’s two-time world champion Shericka Jackson, who did not contest the 100m, was not a starter either for the longer sprint.

The field was further thinned by the absence of Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of the Ivory Coast, who had been carried off the track in tears in the 100m the night before after struggling home injured.

For those in the crowd who had maybe not seen Alfred the previous evening, this was an opportunity to witness the newly-minted gold medallist in action, and she gave them an ideal view as she moved easily clear of the field.

But Alfred has very serious opposition in the form of Gabby Thomas of the United States, who looked fluid and confident in winning the next heat in 22.20, the fastest time of the morning. Favour Ofili of Nigeria was second fastest in 22.24, winning the final heat ahead of Britain’s 2019 world champion Dina Asher-Smith, who clocked 22.28. Meanwhile Britain’s Darryl Neita, fourth in the 100m final, qualified fifth-fastest in 22.39.

Grant Holloway, three times a world 110m hurdles champion but still without Olympic gold, made his statement of intent as he qualified fastest for Wednesday’s semi-finals in 13.01, with the next fastest time, recorded by Japan’s Rachid Muratake, being 13.22.

The cheers after the United States athlete’s concluding heat redoubled with the confirmation that home athlete Sasha Zhoya had earned the third automatic qualifying spot in 13.43.

Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment, who beat Holloway to Olympic gold in Tokyo three years ago, will need to continue his title defence in Tuesday’s repechage round, having finished fifth in his opening heat.

Parchment was the slowest of four athletes on 13.43, with Antoine Andrews of The Bahamas and Daniel Roberts of the United States occupying the second and third automatic qualifying sports behind China’s winner in 13.40, Xu Zhuoyi.

Also involved in the repechage will be Freddie Crittenden of the United States, who jogged through his heat and finished in 18.27 but explained afterwards that he had done so as a precaution after feeling a twinge during warm-up and wanted to give himself a second chance to qualify.

Holloway’s marker was replicated in the men’s long jump, where Greece’s defending champion Miltiadis Tentoglou needed just one effort to register 8.32m, with the next best distance being the 8.15m jumped by Czechia’s Radek Juska.

Meanwhile Italy’s 19-year-old Mattio Furlani, who took European silver behind Tentoglou in Rome in June, was sixth best qualifier with 8.01m. Also making the cut in fourth place was Swiss decathlete Simon Ehammer, who had a best of 8.09m.

The noise levels in the stadium rose before the third women’s 3000m steeplechase heat as France’s European champion Alice Finot was introduced.

The decibels continued throughout and many tricolores were flourished in the morning sunshine as Finot safely earned the second of the three automatic places for Tuesday’s final in 9:14.78 behind Kenya’s world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech, who ran from the front throughout to clock 9:13.56. Although, with one of her legs strapped with blue tape, the 2019 world champion never looked comfortable clearing the barriers.

Her teammate Faith Cherotich was the second fastest qualifier in 9:10.57 behind Uganda’s defending champion Peruth Chemutai, who clocked 9:10.51.

Krista Tervo of Finland topped qualifying in the women’s hammer on 74.79m, from world champion Camryn Rogers of Canada (74.69m) and 2019 world champion DeAnna Price of the United States, who threw 73.79m.

The final qualifying place went to the winner the past three Olympic titles, 38-year-old Anita Wlodarczyk, who confirmed her return to competitive fettle after her serious leg injury in 2022 by winning European silver in Rome two months ago.

Sadly, home thrower Alexandra Tavernier, fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, failed to progress after registering three fouls.

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

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