Martin Meissner

T&T men’s and women’s sprint relay teams produced season’s best times in their respective round one heats on Wednesday night (T&T time), however, it was all for naught as both units did not advance to what is setting up to be thrilling finals carded for Friday at 9.50 am (T&T time).

In both instances, only the top three finishers in each of the two 4×100 metres heats progressed as automatic qualifiers to the respective finals along with the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers teams, unfortunately T&T’s teams satisfied neither.

T&T men’s 4x100m relay team of Kion Benjamin, Eric Harrison, Akanni Hislop and Richard Thompson, running in that order, clocked a season’s best 38.63 seconds and placed sixth in heat one of two at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo and also did not progress.

The local quartet, which was anchored by three-time Olympic medallist Thompson, in lane eight never threatened the field, who had all finishers achieving a season’s best.

However, it was only the top three finishers advancing from the first heat. Caribbean neighbour Jamaica prevailed in a time of 37.82, followed by Great Britain in second with 38.02 and host country Japan placed third in 38.16.

The other two relay teams, Netherlands and South Africa, did not finish the race.

The remaining five finalists came from heat two and USA was not among them as the Americans (38.10) failed to reach the medal race.

China and Canada ( 37.918), led by men’s 200m champion Andre de Grasse, battled to the line, but it was the Chinese taking first place by just two-thousandths of a second in a time of 37.916 seconds. Italy, in a new national record of 37.95, took third spot.

Germany (38.06) and Ghana (38.08), which finished fourth and fifth, respectively, were the non-automatic qualifiers.

Earlier, the local women’s quartet of Khalifa St Fort, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Kai Selvon and anchor, five-time Olympian Kelly-Ann Baptiste, competing in lane nine also clocked a season-best 43.62 but unfortunately, were not in contention for a qualifying spot in a race where the top two finishers achieved personal goals as well.

The German team sprinted to victory with a season’s best time of 42.00, followed by Switzerland, which placed second in 42.05, a national record and in third place was China in 42.82.

In the opening heat, the top five teams advanced to the final with the Great Britain team winning with 41.55. In second place was the United States in 41.90, to comfortably finish ahead of Jamaica, who was without the services of reigning women’s 100m and 200m Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and 100m silver medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The Jamaican quartet of Natasha Morrison, Remona Burchell, Shericka Jackson, Briana Williams qualified in third place with a 42.15-clocking.

The non-automatic qualifiers emerging from heat one were fourth-placed France with 42.68 and Netherlands, which crossed fifth in 42.81.

4x400m men T&T’s last hope for a medal in athletics

On Friday, T&T 4x400m relay team which will be selected from the squad of Machel Cedenio, Deon Lendore, Dwight St Hillaire, Jereem Richards, Asa Guevara and Che Lara will will be this country’s final chance to win a medal on the track.

The qualifying round of the event starts at 7.25 am (T&T time) and the local quartet will seeking to be among the top three finishers in the heat or be among the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers to advance to the medal race on Saturday at 8.50 am (T&T time).

Results

Athletics

4x100m Relays

Men

Heat one

Rank Lane Team Reaction Time Result

1 5 Jamaica 0.146 37.82 SB Q

2 3 Great Britain 0.152 38.02 SB Q

3 4 Japan 0.147 38.16 SB Q

4 9 France 0.156 38.18 SB

5 2 Brazil 0.140 38.34 SB

6 8 T&T 0.150 38.63 SB

– 6 Netherlands 0.146 DNF

– 7 South Africa 0.150 DNF

Heat two

Rank Lane Team Reaction Time Result

1 4 China 0.152 37.92 (.916) SB Q

2 9 Canada 0.177 37.92 (.918) SB Q

3 5 Italy 0.170 37.95 NR Q

4 6 Germany 0.134 38.06 SB

5 8 Ghana 0.137 38.08 NR

6 3 USA 0.148 38.10 SB

7 7 Denmark 0.143 38.16 NR

– 2 Turkey 0.146 DQ TR 24.7

Women

Heat one

Rank Lane Team Reaction Time Result

1 5 Great Britain 0.132 41.55 NR Q

2 4 USA 0.140 41.90 SB Q

3 6 Jamaica 0.180 42.15 SB Q

4 3 France 0.156 42.68 SB

5 2 Netherlands 0.151 42.81 SB

6 9 Italy 0.143 42.84 NR

7 8 Japan 0.145 43.44 SB

8 7 Ecuador 0.141 43.69 NR

Heat two

Rank Lane Team Reaction Time Result

1 7 Germany 0.216 42.00 SB Q

2 6 Switzerland 0.166 42.05 NR Q

3 3 China 0.137 42.82 Q

4 8 Poland 0.156 43.09 SB

5 2 Brazil 0.128 43.15 SB

6 4 Nigeria 0.164 43.25

7 5 Denmark 0.157 43.51 NR

8 9 T&T 0.196 43.62 SB

Cycling

Men’s Sprints (5th-8th places)

Rank Name (Country) Result

5 Maximilian Levy (Germany) Winner

6 Nicholas Paul (T&T) +0.152

7 Sebastien Vigier (France) +0.644

8 Jason Kenny (Great Britain) +0.879