Alysha Newman booked a ticket to her first ever Olympic pole vault final Monday morning, hitting a best jump of 4.55 metres.
“I’m really looking forward to the final. They always say there’s always an upset and there’s a surprise, and I’m feeling like I could be the surprise,” Newman said.
Teammate Anicka Newell achieved a best jump of 4.40 metres in her second attempt at that height, but did not advance to Wednesday’s final.
Desgagnés’s Olympic Debut Will Continue in Steeple Final
Jean-Simon Desgagnés stepped onto an Olympic track for the first time Monday and immediately booked his first Olympic final, finishing 5th in his men’s 3000 steeplechase heat with a time of 8:25.28.
“I knew that, when there’s going to be three or four guys going to the front, I need to be with them. That’s my place in the final. To be with the top guy means I needed to train and whatever is needed to be there,” Desgagnés said.
De Grasse Books His 200 Metre Semi-Final Ticket
Three Canadian sprint stars raced for spots in the next round of the men’s 200 metres.
Andre De Grasse earned a direct trip to the semi-final round with a 2nd place finish in his qualifying heat, with a time of 20.30 seconds.
Brendon Rodney and Aaron Brown will compete in the repechage round to try and earn a spot in the semi-finals.
Rodney was 4th in his heat, clocking in with a season’s best time of 20.30 seconds. Brown was 4th in his heat in a time of 20.36 seconds.
“It’s not ideal, but I’ve just got to roll with the punches, run a little bit harder – not trying to be cute and try to qualify,” Brown said. “ It’s all good. I didn’t serve myself too much today, so I won’t feel too bad and I just want to go a bit harder tomorrow, get the job done and go back to the semis.”
Leduc and Madogo Compete in 200 Metre Semis
Audrey Leduc and Jacqueline Madogo lined up for the chance to compete in the women’s 200 metre final, but neither were able to book a spot in that elite group of eight finalists.
Leduc was 6th in the first semi-final, a time of 22.68 seconds and Madogo was 7th in the second semi-final, notching a time of 20.80 seconds.
“It’s just amazing to be here and to perform on that stage,” Leduc said. “It’s a learning curve because this is my first big meet on the international stage. So, to be able to take everything in, everything is just kind of new.
“I feel great. I had a great first Olympic experience. No a lot of people get to say they raced at the Olympics, let alone PB not once but twice,” Madogo said.
Madogo booked her spot in the semi-final with her second straight personal best time at these Games. After clocking in at 22.78 in the heats to set a PB, she beat that time again with a time of 22.58 in the repechage.
“When I set up my blocks, it was just be where your feet are and trust your preparation and trust your training, and it just worked out,” Madogo said. “It’s clicking at the right time, which I’m happy about. The season has been going great, so it’s just continuing to build and just progressing.”
Sherar and Gale Head to 400 Metre Repechage
Zoe Sherar and Lauren Gale got the women’s 400 metres started, competing in the first round of qualifying. Both Canadians will compete in the repechage round
Sherar was 8th in Heat 2, clocking in with a time of 51.97 seconds, while Gale was 8th in Heat 6 with a time of 53.13 seconds, after being cleared a day earlier after suffering a bout of Norovirus.
“I just felt awful coming into it and just wasn’t there today. It’s still an honor to represent Canada and I wish I could have done a little better for the country and all my family here,” Gale said. “Overall, we got to the track, we stepped on the track even though I was not doing well. Now I’m just getting ready for tomorrow for the repechage.”
Tomorrow at Paris 2024
Are you ready for another night of hammer throw action, Canada? Camryn Rogers steps into the ring as the reigning world champion, looking to add a to Canada’s medal tally.
Christopher Morales Williams is ready to take the men’s 400 metre semi-final by storm, while Savannah Sutherland is eyeing a spot in the women’s 400 metre hurdle final. Will these NCAA sensations book an Olympic final in their first Games?
Early risers get to enjoy 1500 metres of Lucia Stafford, Simone Plourde and Kate Current, battling it out with the rest of the world for spots in the semi-final round later this week.
It’s repechage day, as some Canadian stars look to advance in their events, like Aaron Brown and Brendon Rodney (men’s 200 metres), Zoe Sherar and Laurent Gale (women’s 400 metres), and Craig Thorne (men’s 110 metre hurdles).
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