Eusebio Caceres of Spain in the Octathlon Long Jump (© Getty Images)
Jamaica’s Tarik Batchelor was the top qualifier in the Boys’ Long Jump with his 7.43m while Panama’s Jhamal Bowen was next with 7.34m. But behind them it was very close as just 12 centimetres separated the next 10 athletes for tomorrow’s final. All other favourites, including Japanese duo Daisuke Yoshiyama and Yasumichi Konishi, are also safely through.
Andreea Ionescu of Romania set a PB of 57.88 to record the fastest time from the Girls’ 400m Hurdles heats. USA’s Ryann Krais and Dalilah Muhammad – the fastest two in the world this year – won the other two heats and are safely through. South Africa’s Marli Spies was leading heat two until the final hurdle when she took a tumble, costing her a place in tomorrow’s final.
Highs and lows in hammer
Eight athletes from group A of the Boys’ hammer sailed through to the final, with four more from group B making the grade. USA’s Conor McCullough topped the list with a PB of 75.98m, more than five metres further than what his rival Walter Henning threw at the last World Youth Championships in Marrakech to place eighth in the final.
The only notable absence from tomorrow’s final will be Michael Kolokotronis from Cyprus, who was some six metres shy of his season’s best to miss out on a place in the final by one place. The other casualty – in a physical sense – was Korea’s Unpil Chae, who suffered a heavy fall in the final round after slipping in circle.
Spain’s Eusebio Cáceras still leads the Octathlon with just two disciplines remaining, having led since the very first event. But he missed out on a few more potential points in the High jump – he passed 1.86m and then had three failures at 1.89m, with his best effort being 1.83m. Czech’s Jaroslav Hedvicak cleared the same height, meaning he stays in second place, but Shane Brathwaite of Barbados crept a bit closer in third after jumping 1.89m.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
