Dalilah Muhammad in the 400m hurdles at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (© Getty Images)
Nearly all of the athletes who impressed in yesterday’s heats of the 400m hurdles backed up their form in the semi-finals to book their spots in Thursday’s final.
As was the case in the first round, Jamaica’s Ristananna Tracey and two-time world champion Zuzana Hejnova were drawn in the first of the three races. This time, though, their finishing order was reversed.
Canada’s Noelle Montcalm was the first to rise, but Hejnova, Tracey and US teenage talent Sydney McLaughlin soon caught her up. Hejnova and Tracey went over the eighth flight of hurdles with a share of the lead before the Czech record-holder stretched ahead down the home straight, crossing the line in a big season’s best of 54.55.
Tracey grabbed the second automatic qualifying spot in 54.80, while fast-finishing Pole Joanna Linkiewicz was further behind in third in 55.35, missing a spot in the final.
In the second semi-final, South Africa’s Wenda Nel got out well, while USA’s Ashley Spencer adopted a more cautious start and was about fifth at half way.
Britain’s Eilidh Doyle and Jamaica’s Janieve Russell passed Nel with 200 metres to go as Spencer moved up a gear to challenge the leaders. Russell, Doyle and Spencer entered the straight almost level, only for Spencer to hit the ninth hurdle and lose significant ground.
She regained her composure, though, and came back to pass a duelling Doyle and Russell, taking the win in 54.87. Russell had the edge over Doyle on the line to get the other automatic qualifying spot, 54.92 to 54.99, but the Briton advanced to the final as a non-automatic qualifier.
World leader Dalilah Muhammad of the USA was in the third and last semi-final and once again shot into an early lead. Denmark’s European champion Sara Slott Petersen was in a clear second place and drew level with Muhammad near the half-way point, but Muhammad kicked on.
With a comfortable lead coming into the home straight, Muhammad safely cleared the final two barriers to book her place in the final in 53.89, easily the fastest time of the round. Petersen was second in 54.55 while Jamaica’s Leah Nugent clocked a PB of 54.98 to advance as a non-automatic qualifier.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
