GB Day 1 round-up
Three GB athletes cruised into the 800m semi-finals. Favorite Keely Hodgkinson (2:00.32) won her prelim, commenting: “I’m not the biggest fan of rounds; you never know what can happen, you are exposed to anything. So, I just have to make sure I take each round as it comes and conserve energy. It is all about controlling your pace. Isabelle Boffey (2:00.17) finished third and qualified on time. She seemed to be in control of the race but was overtaken on the last few meters, commenting: “Obviously, I would have like to have finished top two. But I didn’t have it in the last 5m. Feeling good for tomorrow.”
Ben Pattison (1:47.48) controlled his prelim from the front, explaining: “When I got to the front, it was just a waiting game to see when they were going to make their move because I was not going to move from the front; they would have to go around me. I knew I had another gear and managed to hold everybody off.”
Georgia Hunter Bell cruised through to the final of 1500m, winning the slowest heat in 4:12.09 and never looking in any trouble. She commented: “I was trying to stay relaxed and treat this like a round at British Championships, not get overwhelmed, and just stay out of trouble. But then I was thinking, ‘I am the team captain, so I must lead by example. Very happy to have got the job done. Feeling good heading into the final, as I know it is going to be tough. There are going to be so many good athletes in the final, so I think it’s going to be a fun race.”
Jody Smith (6.65) in the 60m, Louisa Stoney (53.24) and Yemi Mary John (52.28) in the 400, Jemma Reekie, Jack Higgins, and James McMaster in the 1500s failed to progress from the first round. Most of those are inexperienced and will learn from competing at the highest level. Yemi Mary John, who beat Amber Anning to become GB champion, and Jemma Reekie, with all her experience, will be disappointed. To be fair, Reekie was fourth in 4:11.61, a time that would have won both the other heats, but there were no places in the final allocated by time; only the first three in each heat were selected.
Jeremiah Azu ran a PR of 6.45 in the semi-final of the 60m. In the final, he was one hundredth of a second slower and also one hundredth of a second behind the silver and bronze medal winners – small margins. Last year, he won the World title in 6.49. Azu commented: “It a tough one to take, but I am proud that I came and tried to defend my title. I fell short and it hurts a lot, but that’s track and field. You live, and you learn, and you get better. I am definitely at the start of my peak; I’ve got four or five more years of crazy good times. It’s good to be on the World’s start line again, and I’m excited for the future, but ultimately, right now, I’m disappointed. For me, the final is never about the times I run; it’s about a medal. Times are irrelevant at a championship. It’s great to leave with a fast time but times are going to be broken. In a few years’ time, there will be new number ones, but medals last forever.”