Jamaica’s Fraser-Pryce chases 200m gold tonight

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce kept her bid for a sprint double on track Tuesday as she sailed into the final of the women’s 200m at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon. She takes to the tracks to battle for gold today.

Fresh from winning a record fifth world 100m title, Fraser-Pryce timed a season’s best of 21.83 seconds in the third of three semifinals, finishing ahead of American Abby Steiner.

Joining the 35-year-old, a world 200m champion in 2013, in today’s final will be her two teammates who helped snatch an unprecedented clean sweep of the 100m podium for Jamaica on Sunday.

Shericka Jackson, who has the quickest time this season of 21.55sec, and four-time Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, a world silver medallist over 200m in 2015, are still both seeking their first individual world titles.

Jackson won her semifinal in an impressive 21.67sec, while Thompson-Herah went through as one of the two fastest outside the two automatic qualifiers from each of the three semis.

Alongside the trio of Jamaicans and Steiner in the final will be Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning world 200m champion who was fourth in the 100m, American Tamara Clark, Niger’s Aminatou Seyni and Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji.

Namibian teenager Beatrice Masilingi, who finished sixth in the Tokyo Olympics final, was hampered by injury and finished last in her semi. – AFP