Key events
In the final heat, we’ve got Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, 100m champ and favourite, and also Dina Asher-smith.
Hunt, the Cambridge grad whose time is the second-best ever run by a Brit, is delighted. “That was lit wasn’t it!” she says. “The word of the day for me was intent,” saying everything from the warm-up was done with intent and passion. She knew she was in the shape of her life and knows she’s got one of the highest top speeds in the world, so she’s “super-excited” for tomorrow and her good lane. Hold tight!
Jackson wins in 21.99, a season’s best, while Hunt is second in 22.08, a PB! She was under pressure from Brown in the final 20m, but she had the speed endurance to see it out. That’s great work, delivering your best when you most need to.
Jackson is away well, up on Brown, but Hunt is looking strong in second!
Righto, on to the women’s event. We’ve got Shericka Jackson and Brittany Brown going in the first semi, with Amy Hunt going for GB…
That Lyles run really was brilliant, from gun to tape; I can’t wait for tomorrow’s final, and I know I’ve been backing Bednarek since the start, but he’ll just have seen his PB of 19.57 rinsed. If Lyles runs a similar time, he’s struggling; Tebogo went quicker winning gold in Paris, while Levell looks to have something similar in him.
Hughes says he needed to work the bend to be in striking distance. He could’ve been a bit more aggressive, but that’s for the final; he’s got a lot more, he just needs to trust himself and stay relaxed in the last couple of metres.
Our fastest-loser qualifiers are Dambile of RSA, who ran a PB of 19.97, and Makaraku of Zimbabwe, who ran 19.98; the two embrace, and it’s a lovely moment.
I love the way Lyles attacked that race. He killed the first 10, piled into the curve, and didn’t let up; he wanted to send a message, and he has. “Welcome to the Lyles den!” he shouts into a camera; he liked that, a lot. You’d have to, if you could do it, which he can.
Lyles is away really well, miles ahead at the bend. He streaks clear … and wins in 19.51! That’s the fastest time in the world this year, a statement race this, and Hughes follows him home in 19.95.
Lyles noises up the crowd as he does, but is he deflecting? He didn’t look great in the 100, but this is his better event, and he’ll hope his speed endurance is enough.
In semi three of the men’s 200, we’ve got Noah Lyles and Tapiwanashe Makarawu of Zimbabwe, but watch out for Udodi Onwuzurike of Nigeria; Hughes goes in lane six.
In the women’s triple jump final, Perez Hernandez of Cuba takes the lead with 14.85; Rojas hits 14.76 in response. They’ve five jumps to go.
My guess is Gout wanted to run quicker than that, but back to those still involved, Levell is looking seriously strong and if he’s got a performance left, will go fast enough to win a medal.
Levell wins in 19.78, Tebogo second in 19.95; Lindsey of USA is third and Gout is fourth in 20.36.
Levell gets away well and he’s flying around the bend, Tebogo clear in second.
Also in heat two: the prodigious Gout Gout and Bryan Levell of Jamaica, who was really impressive in the first round.
It’s been bothering me who Zharnell Hughes looks like and I’ve finally got it: Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, the former UFC heavyweight.
I actually fancy Bednarek to take this title, and he’ll know this is his chance with Lyles not in the greatest shape. Let’s see what Letsile has in the second semi.
Bednarek wins in 19.88, nice and controlled; Ogando of Dominica takes second, with Van Niekerk of RSA having to wait.
Heat one is ready to go and Bednarek is away really well, but Uzawa from Japan is falling away.
We watch VT of Tebogo talking to BBC; he says he likes to relax on his farm when he’s not running, and wants to make Africa proud. He says it’s always interesting to see what Noah Lyles is going to do – he’s hyped up and Tebogo needs to be so too – and he reckons the man he beat to gold in the Paris 200 is good for the sport.
Imminent on the track: the semis of the men’s 200m. Bednarek is the big name in the first race.
Hunter Bell, who has a very distinctive voice, is happy. She had to decide between the 8 and 1500, saying you can’t do the former half-cooked, and she always wanted to run the distance at a major tournament and her ranking is good, so this is the one.
The women’s triple jump final is under way. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Venezuela’s Julimar Rojas does – she’s just returned from a ruptured Achilles having not competed since winning gold in Paris, and came through qualification with her first jump.
Goule-Toppin wins in 1.59.66, with Nowe of Botswana, like Switzerland having a T&F moment, second; Trapeau of Canada is third.
Our final heat in the women’s 800m is under way, and Jess Hull of Australia goes down early on; she’s out of contention, while Goule-Toppin of Jamaica leads; Sekgodiso of RSA drops out, having come in carrying an injury.
Walcott is the youngest ever to win an Olympic throwing event – he was 19 at London 2012. Now, though, he’s 32, and it’s amazing really, winning global events so far apart. He’ll have had some dart times in the intervening period, I’m sure, and this’ll make them all worth it.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad & Tobago wins gold in the men’s javelin with a throw of 88.16m
Anderson Peters of Grenada takes silver and Curtis Thompson of USA bronze.
Weber of Germany, the best javeliner in the world this year, comes in for his final go … and decelerates through the throw, and can do no better than fifth. He won this year’s Diamond League but is still without a world or Olympic medal, and looks seriously disappointed. We knoww who our medallists are now, but can Thompson or Peters go further than Walcott?
Hunter Bell takes the lead around the bend and pulls clear; she’s going to be fine. She wins in 1.58.52, Galvydyte of Lithuania challenging at the end and forcing her to step on the gas a second time. Hollingsworth of Australia is the third qualifier and I think the time was fast enough so that fourth will be quicker than Jemma Reekie … who is now out.
Hollingsworth of Australia leads at the bell, Hunter Bell – no relation – sitting second, with Lamote of France third.
Georgia Hunter Bell, Hodgkinson’s teammate and 1500m bronze medallist in Paris, goes in heat six of the 800m. She should be a medal threat here too, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she takes this one out.
Also going on:
The rain is pretty heavy now, not great for javeliners who need to trust conditions underfoot. So great for those in the medal positions, because catching them now won’t be easy.
Odira of Kenya wins in 1.57.86, with Cooper Gaspar of Cuba taking second and Mesele of Ethiopia third. Reekie tied up badly in the home straight; she comes fifth, with Nakaayi taking fourth. They are now the third and first fastest losers respectively, with two heats to come.
A group of four pull away, Nakaayi, Reekie, Odira of Kenta and Mesele of Ethiopia. This’ll be tight.
Heat five of the women’s 800 is under way, Jemma Reekie repping for GB in this one. She moves to the front, then Nakaayi of Uganda moves in front as they take the bell.
Chopra of India, one of the favourites for the javelin and coached by the great Zelezny, is out, having failed to make the top eight after five throws.
Werro doesn’t move as nicely as Hodgkindson, but she’s got plenty of speed and speed endurance. Paula Radcliffe and Liz McColgan weren’t the most stylish runners, but they knew how to get from gun to tape well enough.
Werro wins in 1.58.43; Hurta-Klecker is second, with Wielgosz third, while Caldwell is currently the fastest loser.
Werro ups the pace, Moraa now well off it; Hurta-Klecker of USA is secure in second, while Caldwell of Australia has Wielgosz of Poland coming up behind her. She’s in trouble.
Werro goes to the front, passing Moraa, who then finds herself buffeted and dropping well off the pack; she recovers and is back in the race at the bell.
Switzerland are having a bit of an athletic moment, and Audrey Werro, just 21, is one of the favourites for the women’s 800m. She goes in heat four, about to get going. The forecast rain has started.
Walcott looks to be in rhythm, and extends his leading mark to 88.16. They’ve taken four of six throws.
Back to the final of the men’s javelin and Curtis Thompson, in third with 86.67, has different coloured shoes on.
Peters of Grenada is second with 87.38; Walcott of T&T leads with 87.83, but below the medal positions are various of the favourites.
Now it’s to the third, Duguma of Ethiopia leading around the final bed, and she, along with Congdon of USA and Coiro of Italy pull away down the home straight to take the three semi-final spots. The winning time is 2.01.53 and Duguma looked really strong there.
My Chrome crashes and I miss the second heat of the women’s 800; Bourgoin of France wins it in 1.58.43, with Moraa of Kenya second and Gajanova of Slovenia third.
The state of this.
“But we’ve increased our revenues by about 38% in the last four years,” he added. “And in the next four years we’re going to spend about $50m on prize money. I don’t want to sound like Gordon Brown, but I do want the athletes to benefit from the proceeds of growth.
I was, though, amused by the above: I’m pretty sure no one will ever compare Seb Coe, former Tory MP for Falmouth, to the man who was chancellor when minimum wage and Sure Start were instituted.
“Nice,” says Hodgkindson watching the finish. ““My makeup stayed on.” Otherwise, she says heats are awful, they feel awful, but she wanted to enjoy being back in the stadium and was looking around thinking how nice it all is. Finally, she hopes Hunter bell, her teammate, also gets through.
