Emmanuel makes it to 200 final at worlds
LONDON — Crystal Emmanuel looked fierce, like a fired-up boxer about to climb into the ring.
Then she raced into the women’s 200-metre final at the world track and field championships, a place no Canadian woman has gone in 33 years.
The 25-year-old from Toronto ran 22.85 seconds to finish third in her semifinal and clinch a spot in Friday’s final — a first for a Canadian woman in the distance since Angela Bailey in 1983.
When the television camera panned the field for her 200-metre semifinal, it caught the Canadian talking to herself. She was repeating her mantra: “Beast. Just me.”
“I looked down the track and all I saw was ‘beast,’ and that was me,” Emmanuel said.
It was a night that might have belonged to Andre De Grasse. Turkey’s Ramil Guliyev won gold in a men’s 200-metre final missing the Canadian star, who pulled out before the meet with a torn hamstring. Canadian teammate Aaron Brown was disqualified in the 200 heats from stepping on the line.
Sage Watson of Medicine Hat, Alta., raced to sixth in her first major 400-metre hurdles final. The 23-year-old, who won the NCAA title in June with the Arizona Wildcats, crossed in 54.92.
“I just went for it, you have to push yourself and see what you can do, and I definitely did that tonight,” Watson said.
“I would have liked to have run a personal best and obviously have gotten a medal, but it’s my first time in a world championship final at this level, so it’s only up from here.”