Fred Kerley crowned 100m world champion as US secures clean sweep in Eugene
Fred Kerley was crowned 100m world champion as the USA secured a clean sweep in Eugene, Oregon.
Favourite Kerley finished ahead of team-mates Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell at Hayward Field on Saturday night.
He clocked 9.86 seconds at the World Championships to add to the 100m Olympic silver he won in Tokyo last year.
It came after Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes crashed out in the semi-final after stumbling in his heat and only running 10.13 seconds.
He said: “It was a mis-step that cost me the race. I couldn’t do anything about it. I tried my best to get back into it but the gap was just a little too much to close.
“When it happened I just tried to stay relaxed and rely on my top end speed and I know I can close the field because I am one of the fastest finishers out there. It’s just that those guys are stupid fast out of the blocks so they had a little bit of a jump ahead of me. I’d have caught them.
“It’s very difficult to go through but the Lord gives the toughest battles for the strongest soldiers and I believe I am one of the strongest soldiers and will come through the fight with my head up.”
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs had already pulled out ahead of the semi-final saying he did not want to risk further injury.
The Italian ran 10.04 seconds on Friday but looked to be having difficulties in his heat.
Dina Asher-Smith stormed to victory in her 100m heat in 10.84 seconds – just one hundredth of a second off her British record – to qualify fastest for Sunday’s semi-final.
The defending 200m world champion who also won 100m silver three years ago said: “What I needed to do was qualify and win my heat. I’m coming here as a reigning world champion and a world silver medallist so the aspirations are high for me.
“I knew I’d been waiting all season to peak for this. I’ve got some more to give, but I’m happy that I nailed all the essential bits.
“I thought I set it up well. All these ladies are very, very quick, and there are some very talented up and comers, so that’s what you really have to watch in the heats because those are the girls who have got absolutely nothing to lose.”
Daryll Neita clocked a season’s best of 10.95 seconds to finish behind double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and reach the semi-final.
Imani Lansiquot did not progress after coming fourth in 11.24 seconds in her race.
Laura Muir also reached Monday’s 1500m final after coming second in her semi-final. The Scot ran four minutes 01.78 seconds, a season’s best, as her hunt for a maiden World Championships medal continued.
She said: “Considering that was the fastest I have run 1500 this year. I’m very happy.
“When I ran the heat I was ‘yeah, we’re fine’. I’m not going to say it was easy because it was fast but it felt nice and comfortable at that pace which is really good news.”
In the men’s race Josh Kerr, Neil Gourlay and Jake Wightman all made Sunday’s semi-final in Oregon.
Earlier, Eilish McColgan blamed injury after she suffered disappointment in the 10,000m.
The 31-year-old, expected to have an outside shot of a medal having run the second quickest 10,000m this year, finished 10th in the final.
She ran 30 minutes 34.60 seconds with Great Britain team-mate Jess Judd 11th. Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, the world record holder, took gold in 30 minutes 09.94 seconds.
“I felt I was getting back fit again and then I picked up a niggle with my hamstring five days ago,” said McColgan, who is still due to run in the 5,000m.
Andrew Pozzi qualified for the 110m hurdles semi-final after running 13.45 seconds in his heat to finish third.
He is joined on Sunday by team-mates Dave King, who ran 13.57 seconds in heat five, and Josh Zeller who clocked 13.41 seconds in heat two.
Aimee Pratt ran nine minutes 18.91 seconds for a new British record in the 3000m steeplechase to make the final but Lizzie Bird did not qualify.
Morgan Lake pulled out of high jump qualification as she continues to self-isolate after catching Covid during Great Britain’s holding camp.
Published: by Radio NewsHub