Day three of the Paris 2024 Olympics delivered a thrilling mix of triumph and drama, with standout performances and unexpected twists that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.
The day began with Damian Warner maintaining his dominance in the men’s decathlon, kicking off with a win in the 110 meters hurdles, clocking 13.62 seconds. However, his bid to defend his Olympic title took a devastating turn when he failed to register a vault in the pole vault, effectively ending his hopes of retaining the crown.
In the early morning men’s pole vault qualification, Armand Duplantis led the way with a height of 5.85 meters (19-2.25). Sam Kendricks also advanced, but the event was marked by disappointment for the USA’s Christopher Nilsen, who failed to clear 5.40 meters (17-8.5) and missed out on the final.
Turning to the track events, the women’s 800 meters repechage round saw home favourite Anais Bourgoin narrowly secure a spot in the semifinals, much to the delight of the French crowd. However, there were major upsets as the USA’s Allie Wilson and Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi, both considered strong contenders, were eliminated.
The men’s 100 meters round 1 was rife with drama. British hopeful Jeramiah Azu was disqualified in the first heat after reacting to a noise from the crowd, a decision that ended his Olympic dreams after his appeal to run under protest was rejected. Nonetheless, Britain’s hopes were kept alive as Louie Hinchliffe stormed to victory in heat 3, clocking a blistering 9.99 seconds to edge out the current world champion Noah Lyles. Zharnel Hughes also secured an automatic qualifying spot in heat 8 with a time of 10.04 seconds, ensuring Britain remained in contention for medals.
The evening session saw British athletes continuing to shine. In the men’s 1500 meters repechage, George Mills delivered a strong performance, securing a place in the semifinals with a time of 3:33.56. This kept Britain’s middle-distance hopes alive.
The women’s 100 meters semifinals were full of surprises. Dina Asher-Smith, Ewa Swoboda, and Gina Lückenkemper all failed to make the final, while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was unable to start due to a miscommunication about track access. Julien Alfred stunned the field by winning her semifinal in 11.84 seconds, ahead of Sha’Carri Richardson. British medal hopeful Daryll Neita fought her way into the final, adding to the evening’s excitement.
One of the day’s highlights was the mixed 4×400 meters relay, where the…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at RunnerSpace News…