Express trains dressed for gold
Athletics
The athletics schedule today offer one semi-final and five finals on day nine at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France.The women’s 1500 metre semi-finals, women’s long jump and 400m hurdles finals as well as the men’s javelin throw, 200m and 110m hurdles final promise to be an exciting prospect.
Women’s 1500m (Final August 10)
2023 World and 2020 Olympic champion and Olympic record holder (3 minutes 53.11 seconds) Faith Kipyegon (Kenya). 2024 World leader (3:49.04) Kipyegon.
Top contenders
Gudaf Tsegay (Ethiopia, 3:50.30 in 2024), Jessica Hull (Australia, 3:50.83 in 24), Diribe Welteji (Ethiopia, 3:53.75 in 24) and Laura Muir (Britain, 3:53.79 in 24).
Who will chase down Kipyegon in semi-final 1 to the final? Birke Haylom (Ethiopia, 3:53.22), Muir, Nelly Chepchirchir (Kenya, 3:58.46) and Elle St. Pierre (USA, 3:55.99) should all progress to the final.
In the second semi-final three lucky runners will join Tsegay, Hull and Welteji in the final.
Women's Long Jump Final
2020 Olympic champion (7.00 metre) Malaika Mihambo (Germany). 2023 World champion (7.14) Ivana Vuleta (Serbia).
2024 World leader Mihambo (7.22) and Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA, 7.18 in 24) will vie for gold, while the rest of the ten jumpers will battle for silver and bronze.
Plamena Mitkova (Bulgaria, 6.97 in 24) and Larissa Iapichino (Italy, 6.94 in 24) are the best of the rest.
Men's Javelin Throw Final
2020 Olympic champion (87.58m) and 2023 World champion (88.17) Neeraj Chopra (India). Olympic record: Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway, 90.57 in 2008). 2024 World leader: Max Dehning (Germany, 90.20).
Dehning flopped with 79.24 in the qualification and ended only 22nd out of 32 throwers. On the other hand Chopra (first, 89.34) outshined Anderson Peters (Grenada, second wit 88.63), Julian Weber (Germany, 87.76), Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan, 86.59), veteran Julius Yego (Kenya, 85.97), Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil, 85.91) and Jakub Vadlejch (Czechia, 85.63) in the qualification round.
However, Vadlejch (88.65 in 24) and Weber (88.37) could give Chopra a run for his money. But there is one athlete in particular who rises to the occasion, Chopra.
Men's 200m Final
This wow event will have the 75 000 spectators in the Stade de France stadium on the the edge of their seats. The top seven raging bulls ran all between 19.53 and 19.89 seconds in different races this year.
They are Noah Lyles (USA, 19.53), Kenneth Bednarek (USA, 19.59), Letsile Tebogo (Botswana, 19.71), Courtney Lindsey (USA, 19.71), Tarsis Gracious Orogot (Uganda, 19.75), Erriyon Knighton (USA, 19.77), Christiaan Coleman (USA, 19.89),
South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk and Shaun Maswanganyi qualified for the semi-finals with 20.42 and 20.20 respectively. These two, along with Tebogo (20.10), Makarawu Tapiwanashe (Zimbabwe, 20.07) and Orogot (20.32) will have to fire on all cylinders to make to the final. Lyles is the one to beat in the final.
Women's 400m Hurdles Final
There is basically only two athletes in the race to watch. The World Record (50.65) and Olympic record (51.46) belongs the unstoppable Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA).
The dual will be between her and Femke Bol from Netherlands with a season and personal best of 50.95. The rest of the field will chase in their wake for bronze. Rushell Clayton of Jamaica can grab bronze.
Men's 110m Hurdles Final
2020 Olympic champion Hansle Parchment (Jamaica, 13.04). 2023 World champion Grant Holloway (USA, 12.96). 2024 World leader Holloway (12.86).
Top contenders: Holloway, Freddie Crittenden (USA, 12.93 in 24), Daniel Roberts (USA, 12.96 in 24), Lorenzo Simonelli (Italy, 13.05 in 24), Parchment.
Today’s program
10:05 Women's Heptathlon 100m Hurdles.
10:25 Women's Shot Put Qualification.
10:35 Women's 100m Hurdles Repechage.
11:05 Women's Heptathlon High Jump.
11:10 Women's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1.
11:35 Men's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1.
12:00 Men's 800m Repechage.
19:35 Women's 1500m Semi-Finals.
19:35 Women's Heptathlon Shot Put.
20:00 Women's Long Jump Final.
20:25 Men's Javelin Throw Final.
20:30 Men's 200m Final.
20:55 Women's Heptathlon 200m.
21:25 Women's 400m Hurdles Final.
21:45 Men's 110m Hurdles Final.
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