Ackelia Smith qualified for her second final at the Olympics as she advanced in the women’s long jump with 6.59m (-0.3m/s) in the prelims on Tuesday morning at Stade de France in Paris.

Smith, who was seventh in the women’s triple jump earlier, was 10th overall. However, her compatriot Chanice Porter finished 17th overall and failed to make progress to the top 12.

Smith, the Jamaican national champion who qualified for the Olympics by ranking after missing the automatic qualifying mark by one centimetre, was consistent throughout her series on Tuesday, starting with 6.51m (1.2m/s), then registering her best mark in the second round and ending with 6.58m (1.9m/s).

Jamaica’s Chanice Porter competes in the women’s long jump at the Olympics in Paris, France on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

Porter started well with 6.48m, then jumped 6.21m (-0.6m/s) in the second round before fouling on her third attempt.

Only four women got over the automatic qualifying mark of 6.75m in the qualifying, including Germany’s world leader and defending champion Malaika Mihambo who only got into the final with a clutch third jump of 6.86m (0.4m/s) after fouling her first two efforts.

-Paul A Reid