Martin Meissner

It was not to be for Jereem “The Dream” Richards, attempting to win his first Olympic medal, he placed eighth in the men’s 200 metres final at the virus-delayed Tokyo Games in Japan, on Wednesday (T&T time).

The 27-year-old, running in lane two, had a good start but was not among the medal contenders as they made the turn for the straight and crossed the line in a time of 20.39 seconds.

Sprinting to the gold medal was Canadian Andre de Grasse in a new national record of 19.62. It was a crowning moment for De Grasse, who has a Trinidadian mother and Barbadian father, as he was the runner-up at the 2016 Rio de Janiero Games in Brazil.

Yes my mom is Trini and dad Bajan, I know they are really proud of me. All my cousins back home in the Caribbean supporting me, sending messages of support for me, sending me messages from back home. I know they’re proud of me back home. They keep telling me go, go, go, you got this. I’m so proud of myself I finally did it, said a smiling De Grasse in an interview with SportsMax yesterday, following his golden run, admitting he learned from his silver medal-placing behind Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt at the 2016 Rio Games. My coaches told me I have to run the turn, if you don’t run the turn you’re not going to win the race. I knew I had to stay with the Americans coming off the turn and just relax and come home and if I could do that, I’m gonna win this race. I was able to do that and got the job done.”

De Grasse was followed to line by Americans Kenneth Bednarek, who ran a personal best time of 19.68 to cop silver and eventual bronze-medallist Noah Lyles, with a season’s best 19.74.

I knew I had more in the tank. I worked hard for this moment. I knew I was better than 2016, I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten stronger and every year I just continue to get better and I just have to make sure and just execute my race if I can do that I can run a personal best, said the happy and proud Canadian sprinter.

T&T’s Richards, the 2018 Commonwealth Games 200m champion, also followed to the line USA’s Erriyon Knighton (19.93) in fourth spot, Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh in fifth place, also with a new national record time of 19.98, Aaron Brown of Canada (20.20) and Jamaican Rasheed Dwyer (20.21) in sixth and seventh spots, respectively.

Richards’s dream of an Olympic medal can be realised if chosen from T&T’s squad for the first round of men’s 4x400m relay qualifying on Friday from 7.25 am (T&T time).

The local quartet will be chosen from the group which also include Machel Cedenio, Deon Lendore, Dwight St Hillaire, Asa Guevara and Che Lara. Their aim is to be in the top three finishers in the heat or be among the next two fastest times to advance to the medal race on Saturday at 8.50 am (T&T time).

T&T will line-up in lane three in heat one of two versus The Netherlands, Itlay, Great Britain, Czech Republic, USA, Germany and Botswana,

On Wednesday night, both the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams will be in action in round one.

The women’s sprint relay quartet, which will face the starter in lane five in heat two of two, will be chosen from five-time Olympian Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Michelle-lee Ahye,ÊSemoy Hackett, Khalifa St Fort, Ayla Stanisclaus and Kai Selvon. They will race against teams from Brazil, China, Nigeria, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and Poland.

The men’s squad include three-time Olympic medallist Richard Thompson, Kion Benjamin, Adell Colthrust, Eric Harrison, Akanni Hislop and Jonathan Farinha and this quartet will run out of lane eight in heat five against Brazil, Great Britain, Japan, Jamaica, The Netherlands, South Africa and France.

In both instances, the first three in each heat qualify automatically and the next two fastest times advance to the final.

Walcott bows out javelin event

Keshorn Walcott is out the Olympic Games.

The hope of competing in his third straight Olympic final ended in the qualification round as the two-time Olympic medallist did not progress to the men’s javelin final, placing seventh in Group B and 16th overall of the 32 throwers.

Walcott’s best throw measured 79.33 metres, short of the qualifying mark of 83.50m to progress as an automatic qualifier and was not among the best 12 performers.

The 2012 London Olympics champion and 2016 Rio de Janiero Games bronze medallist opened with a distance of 76.13m and followed up with a 79.13m-effort.

He needed to go big and although it was his best attempt in the third and final round, it was not enough. Only three of the 16 throwers from Walcott’s group were automatic qualifiers including first place Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem with 85.16m, Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch with a season-best 84.93m and Julian Weber of Germanywith 84.41m.

The other nine came from group A with India’s Neeraj Chopra advancing with leading mark of 86.65.

A visibly disappointed Walcott walked back to the athletes’ section, pulled off his name tag off his vest, kissed it, folded it and put it away, almost symbolically saying farewell to his participation at his third straight Olympic Games.

Back in 2012 London, Walcott at age 19, stunned the field emerging the gold medallist with an 84.58-throw, returning four years later at 2016 Rio Games and placed third with 85.38m.

Cyclist Paul into 1/8 finals, Browne out in men’s sprint

World record holder Nicholas Paul had everyone’s attention early Wednesday morningÊas the leading local cyclist advanced to the 1/8 finals in the men’s sprint event.

This after, the 22-year-old was successful in all three of his races at the Izu Velodrome.

In the sprint qualifying round, Paul, competing in 22nd spot of the 30 riders, clocked the fourth fastest time of 9.316 to be among the the top 24 finishers who progressed to the 1/32 finals.

He was the lone T&T cyclist moving on from the qualifying round after Kwesi Browne, the first on the track in the event, finished 30th with a 9.966-timing and did not advance to the next round.

However, Paul, the 2019 “Sportsman of the Year”, was up for the challenge and racing in heat four got by Matthew Richardson of Australia to qualify for the 1/16 finals.Ê

He continued to show his class in his final race of the morning, and sealed his spot in the 1/8 finals (3 laps) after beating Malaysia’sÊAzizulhasni Awang.

Paul is scheduled to be back in action on Thursday at 2.57 am (T&T time) against Japan’s Yuta Wakimoto, aiming to book a spot in the quarter-finals.ÊHe will ride against Japan’s Yuta Wakimoto. The loser goes to the 1/8 Finals Repechages.

Browne will now refocus on the Kierin event. Paul is also set to compete in that event.