Shelly runs for sprint double
MOSCOW, Russia– Patricia Hall succinctly summed up the strategy for the women’s 200m at the 14th IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia in three words “advance and survive.”
All three Jamaican women survived the first round of the 200m this morning and will contest the semi-finals later this afternoon at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who is seeking the sprint double after winning the 100m on Monday, won her heat easily in 22.78 seconds ahead of Ukraine’s Elyzaveta Bryzgina while Anniesha McLaughlin placed second in her heat also in 22.78 seconds behind American Allison Felix and Hall was second in 23.25 seconds behind Bahamian Shaunae Miller, all advancing automatically.
The semi-finals will start at 7:45pm Moscow time 10.45am Jamaica time and McLaughlin will run in the first of three races facing Bryzgina, Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure and Miller for one of the two automatic places into the finals set for 12:15pm Friday Jamaica time.
Hall is drawn in lane eight in a tough second race where she faces Felix, Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare and another American Kimberlyn Duncan.
Fraser-Pryce who sauntered through the mixed zone with a smile after her first round race is in lane four in the third race where Antonique Strachan of the Bahamas and Ukraine’s Mariya Ryemyen could be her toughest opponents.
After three rounds of the 100m for Fraser-Pryce and two in the 400m for Hall, surviving through the rounds is crucial.
For McLaughlin however she could not wait to get on the track after waiting nearly a week to start her quest for a second World Championships 200m final after placing fifth in Berlin in 2009.
“I am well rested and was anxious to get out there and compete,” McLaughlin told the Observer.
She was pleased with the first half of her race she said but added there was some work to do during the second half, on the home stretch.
Hall who had three days rest after exiting the 400m at the semi-final stage said was taking it one step at a time and hoping to make it to the finals where “anything can happen.”
The former Vere Technical runner said, “So far my body is holding up and the plan is to advance and survive through each round.”