Canada’s Crew takes shot at history
Torontonian sixth in debut on world stage
LONDON Toronto’s Brittany Crew finished sixth in the women’s shot put in her world championship debut.
The 23-year-old, the first Canadian woman to compete in a world shot put final, threw 18.21 metres.
Gong Lijiao of China won the women’s shot put title with a toss of 19.94 metres. Anita Marton of Hungary took silver and Olympic champion Michelle Carter of the United States got bronze.
Crew’s coach Richard Parkinson wasn’t in London Stadium for the historic moment, as he was quarantined in his room with the norovirus that has struck nine athletes and staff from the Canadian team.
Canada will have two men in Saturday’s 5,000-metre final. Mohammed Ahmed of St. Catharines, Ont., ran the sixth-fastest time in the heats in 13 minutes 22.97 seconds to clinch a spot, while Justyn Knight of Toronto ran 13:30.27 to qualify.
Ahmed was fourth in the event at the Rio Olympics and eighth in the 10,000 metres last week in London.
Genevieve Lalonde of Moncton, N.B., will race in the women’s 3,000-metre steeplechase final, having run the ninth-fastest time in the heats of 9:31.81.
Meanwhile, in cold and wet weather that had some athletes competing in leggings and gloves, Darya Klishina of Russia had the top mark to qualify for Friday’s long jump final.
No one made the automatic qualifying standard of 6.70 metres. Klishina, competing as a neutral athlete because of Russia’s doping suspension, jumped 6.66 metres.
British runner Mo Farah ran a controlled race and coasted home in second place to automatically qualify for the 5,000-metre final behind Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia. Farah won the 10,000 metres on Friday for his sixth world championship gold.
Botswana’s Isaac Makwala qualified for the 200-metre final after getting a late go-ahead to compete. After missing the heats with a stomach bug two days ago, Makwala first made the semifinals in a specially approved solo run. In the semi, he crossed the line in 20.14 seconds, .02 seconds behind Isiah Young from the U.S.
Wayde van Niekerk is still on track for a 200-400 double at the world championships. The South African runner qualified for the 200 final after finishing third in his heat in 20.28.
Karsten Warholm of Norway won the world title in the 400-metre hurdles, holding off Yasmani Copello of Turkey and Kerron Clement of the U.S.
The 21-year-old Norwegian won in 48.35 seconds, .14 seconds ahead of Copello.
Phyllis Francis of the U.S. upset the favourites to win the 400 metres. Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo looked poised to win gold until she slowed in the final metres.
Salwa Eid Naser swept past Allyson Felix in the final metre to lunge at the line for silver, ahead of the American veteran. Francis finished in 49.92 seconds, .14 seconds ahead of Naser. Felix took third in 50.08 and Miller-Uibo was fourth.