The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

A pair of fourth place finishes in their respective heats propelled national record holder Devynne Charlton and former national record holder Pedrya Seymour into the semifinals of the women’s 100 metres hurdles on Saturday at the 2020 Olympic Games.

As day two of the track and field competition unfolded at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, the Bahamas showcased two competitors for the first time in the event with Charlton clocking 12.61 seconds in the third of five heats, while Seymour followed in the same position in the fourth heat in 13.04.

In negotiating their berth into the semifinals on Sunday, starting at 6:45 am, Charlton earned the 12th spot, while Seymour had the 24th and final berth.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, unbeaten this year, took the top spot into the semis, winning her heat in 12.41 with Jamaicans Megan Tapper in a lifetime best of 12.53 and Britney Anderson (12.67) in the second and third spots. American world record holder Kendra Harrison was eighth overall in 12.74.

The 25-year-old Charlton, whose father David Charlton is a coach on Team Bahamas, was making her Olympic debut after she had to sit out the 2016 games with a back injury. She came into the Olympics, delayed from a year ago because of COVID-19, with a personal best of 12.61 as the national record.

In her race, she got out behind the top contenders, but was able to make up some ground over the ten flights of hurdles to clinch her berth behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, the heat winner in 12.72, while Jamaica’s Yanique Thompson was second in 12.74 and Pia Skrzszowska of Poland got a personal best of 12.75 for third.

Immediately after Charlton’s heat, Seymour took to the track without any fans in the stands to post her fourth place finish. In her second straight appearance at the games, Seymour also got out late, but managed her position throughout the race out of lane seven.

The 26-year-old former national record holder at 12.64, came into the race with a season’s best of 12.88. The University of Illinois, Champaign graduate is hoping to earn another trip to the final where she was sixth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.

Anderson won the heat in 12.67 for Jamaica with American Christina Clemons was second in 12.91 and Luca Kozak of Hungary came in third in 12.97.

Now the stage is set for the three semi-final races on Sunday when the top three finishers in each heat and the next two fastest finishers will book their lane in the final that will be contested on Monday.

The lane assignments, however, were not yet completed.