- Mujinga Kambundji wins her preliminary heat over 100 m and moves into the semi-finals as the sixth fastest athlete without any problems. Ajla Del Ponte and Géraldine Frey are eliminated.
- Jason Joseph makes it to the semifinals in the 110m hurdles at the World Championships in Eugene.
- Chiara Scherrer shows a good lead over 3000 m steeple, but misses the final.
- Julien Bonvin gets stuck in the 400m hurdles.
With a time under 11 seconds, Mujinga Kambundji showed no weaknesses in her 100m heat. In 10.97 s she won the heat in front of the young American Melissa Jefferson and secured the ticket for the World Cup semi-finals, which take place on Monday night from 2:35 a.m. (live on SRF Zwei and in the Sport App).
Kambundji recorded the sixth fastest time of all athletes and should also be prepared for the semi-finals. Briton Dina Asher-Smith (10.84 s) was the fastest, with the Jamaican co-favorites Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (second with 10.87 s) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (11.15) not yet showing their cards .
“It can be even better,” Kambundji summed up after her run. The Bern native found the ease that she showed to be good. However, it is important to gain a bit in the semi-finals. The final will also take place on Monday night from 4:50 a.m. Swiss time.
Del Ponte and Frey are eliminated
Kambundji had to act as a comforter after work was done. Because their compatriots Ajla Del Ponte and Géraldine Frey did not make the cut. Del Ponte in particular, who missed the required qualification mark by 23 hundredths with her time of 11.41 s, was bitterly disappointed with her performance. Last summer, the Ticino native finished 5th at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Like Del Ponte, Géraldine Frey finished 5th in her heat. At 10.30s, she stayed 7 hundredths above her personal best set at the Swiss Championships. The 25-year-old from Zug was also able to gain something positive from her World Cup premiere with the elite under the motto “Gaining experience”.
Joseph in the semifinals
In the run-up to the World Cup, Jason Joseph had formulated the advance into the World Cup final over 110 m hurdles as a clear goal. The Basel player took the first step on Saturday evening, Swiss time. In his pre-run, he classified himself in 13.49 seconds in 4th place and thus qualified directly for the semi-finals. The fastest of all heats was the American Grant Holloway with 13.14 seconds, Joseph finished 16th overall.
“It was a cramp. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a tough race. Qualifying for the semi-finals is the main thing,” analyzed the 23-year-old. For the semi-final, which takes place on Sunday evening Swiss time, he expects an increase: “I just have to run cleaner, then 13.20 seconds are in there.”
Scherrer narrowly misses the final
On June 18, Chiara Scherrer set a Swiss record in the 3,000 m steeple in 9:20.28 minutes in Paris. The Toggenburg native also demonstrated her good form at the World Championships in Eugene. In her heat, she finished 9th in 9:22.15, just shy of her personal best. However, this strong performance was not enough to advance to the final.
Scherrer was able to keep up with the leaders with about 800 m to go. But after a speed increase, she then lost the connection. She finished 18th overall, missing the final of the top 15 by 1.13 seconds. “I was in a good position for a long time, then I lacked a bit of strength,” said the 26-year-old. The fastest was Norah Jeruto, who started for Kazakhstan, in 9:01.54 minutes.
Bonvin out on the run
Julien Bonvin, like Scherrer a World Championship debut, missed a good chance of reaching the semi-finals in the 400 m hurdles. In the heat won by world record holder Karsten Warholm (NOR/49.34), the 23-year-old from Valais stayed well above his best time of 50.40 seconds (49.30) and was defeated by Kenyan Moitalel Naadokila (50.19) in the final meters ousted from the required 4th place. Zurich’s Dany Brand was unable to start due to a coronavirus infection.