Women 200m semi finals
The first two of each heat and the two fastest losers advanced to the final which will be held this evening at 19.20 local time.
For her fifth race in four days, USA’s Sanya Richards couldn’t afford to save her energies in heat one of the women’s 200m semi finals for it was Jamaica’s Nickesha Anderson who was in the lead entering the home straight. The American pushed hard on her arms and eventually won the heat in 23.34. Anderson held on to the second automatic qualifying spot clocking 23.52.
Heat two was amazingly outclassed by Great Britain’s Vernicha James. Very powerful in the bend, James entered the final straight with a 5-metre clearance on USA’s Allyson Felix. James turned back to check on her rivals and decided she didn’t need to push any harder. She eased to the tape, which she crossed in 23.07, the fastest time of the semi finals. Felix didn’t seem at her best and clocked 23.73 – almost a second off her personal best – in second.
Running in lane 3, Anneisha McLaughin seemed to have an easy run as she crossed the line in 23.39. First after the first bend, she controlled the race to the tape and kept Italy’s Vincenza Cali (23.42) and Great Britain’s Amy Spencer (23.65) at a reasonable distance behind her.
In addition to Spencer, the fastest loser of the 200m semi finals, Canada’s Ashley Purnell, third in heat three with 23.80, advances to the final.
There will be two Americans, two Jamaicans, two British, one Canadian and one Italian in the final.
