9 Caribbean men through to 400m semis at Tokyo 2020

Nine of the twenty-four lanes in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games men’s 400 metres semi-finals will be occupied by Caribbean athletes.

Former Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada had to settle for second in heat number one in a time of 45.09 seconds. Jamaican Demish Gaye and Bahamian athlete Alonzo Russell were fourth and fifth in 45.49 and 45.51 seconds, respectively.

Jonathan Jones and Christopher Taylor faced off for the second time in less than a month in heat number three. The Bajan national got the better of the Jamaican once again as he finished second in a season’s best time of 45.04 seconds. Taylor was third in 45.20 seconds, ahead of Trinidadian Dwight St. Hillaire, who ran 45.41 seconds.

Heat number five featured Bahamian World champion Steven Gardener who eased to victory in a time of 45.05 seconds ahead of Deon Lendore of Trinidad and Tobago, who ran 45.14 seconds.

An out of form, Nathan Allen finished fourth in 46.12 seconds and failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Trinidad and Tobago’s Machel Cedenio could only manage third in the sixth and final heat in a time of 45.56 seconds. He earned an automatic qualification spot to the semi-finals.

British Virgin Islands’ Chantel Malone booked her spot in the final of the women’s long jump final with a leap of 6.82 metres, which earned her automatic qualification.

Another Caribbean athlete, Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyra Gittens, best effort of 6.72 metres was enough to secure a ninth-place finish. She advanced to the final as a non-automatic qualifier.

Jamaican athletes Chanice Porter and Tissana Hickling crashed out of the first round of the women’s long jump finishing twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth.