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Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek started the guard of his 200 meters...
Elaine Thompson-Herah & Jake Wightman breeze through their heats at Commonwealth Games 2022
Elaine Thompson-Herah, who won two sprint gold medals at the Olympics, and Jake Wightman, who won the world title in the 1500 metres, breezed through their heats at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.
Thompson-Herah’s adding the 200-meter gold to the 100-meter gold she won on Wednesday depends in part on whether Namibia’s Christine Mboma, who won the silver medal at the Olympics, can shake off her lack of training.
Both made it through their heats at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, without any problems.
The women’s 200-meter race is one of the most exciting events at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Thompson-Herah and Mboma, who were first and second in the Olympic final, are running in this race.
Thompson-Herah had to win her heat in 22.80sec right after she won the 100m, but she barely broke a sweat.
After last month’s disappointing world championships, the 30-year-old is on the first step of what she says is her plan to get back to the top.
Elaine Thompson-Herah won both the 100m and the 200m races at the Tokyo Olympics last year. She kept the titles she had won in Rio.
But at this year’s worlds in Eugene, Oregon, she only got bronze in the 100m behind fellow Americans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson. She also came in seventh in the 200m final.
Fraser-Pryce and Jackson decided not to go to the Commonwealths. However, Fraser-Pryce is in Birmingham training with the team for next week’s Monaco Diamond League meeting.
Because of her naturally high testosterone levels, Mboma can only run the 200m. This is because World Athletics, the sport’s governing body, said she can’t run distances from 400m to 1600m.
The 19-year-old, who is the first woman from Namibia to win an Olympic medal in track and field, moved easily into the second round, finishing in 23.20 seconds.
They will play each other again in the semi-finals on Friday, and the final is set for Saturday.
Wightman made it into the men’s 1500m final on Saturday. After his amazing performance at the world championships, he will be the hunted instead of the hunter.
“That was the bit I was most looking forward to,” the Scottish runner said, referring to the huge cheer that went up when his name was called.
Scotland and Kenya should compete against each other in the men’s 1500m.
Timothy Cheruiyot, the 2019 world champion and silver medalist at the Olympics, and Abel Kipsang, who was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics last year, represent Kenya.
For Scotland, Wightman and Josh Kerr, who won a bronze medal at the Olympics, are in the blue corner.
Wightman, who is 28 years old, said he didn’t care that he is now a target.
He told the media, “I don’t feel any more pressure but a bit more hype around it, for sure,”
In the women’s hammer throw, Canada’s Camryn Rogers set a new Games record by throwing 74.68 metres.
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