by Stuart Weir
In his second of three articles for the Day One of the Athletics World Cup, Stuart Weir writes about the women’s 100 meters, women’s 400 meters and women’s 4×400 meter relays.
Women’s track
The women’s 100m probably topped the bill this evening, with four of the eight runners having run under 11 seconds this year and the field included Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson. The winner was Ashley Henderson (USA) the in 11.07 from Thompson (11,09) with the South African captain, Carina Horn third in (11.21) – with a third to six places separated by only seven hundredths of a second.
Henderson, who is 22, has had very little international experience said after race: “It was great. I came out and I just decided to run and not think about much or add any pressure on myself. I have been training really hard and it showed here. The race was good as a whole, I executed it well, and just used my arms to get me to the finish line. The team aspect is great. This is actually my first ever US team so it was a great start. Overall it was great. The crowd was great, the team has been great. I don’t know what else I could have asked for”.
Thompson, who has struggled to produce her Rio form in the past season and a half was gracious in defeat, saying: “It was fun to be here at the first ever World Cup. My aim was to have fun and get points for the team. I loved being part of the team. The season has had some ups and downs and I am taking it a little easier this year but I still go out to perform and put on a show”.
Horn commented: “It wasn’t the best race. I have done better. The time wasn’t great but I got the medal and that’s what counts and every point helps”.
Stephanie Ann McPherson won the women’s 400 in 50.98 with Janieve Russell completing a Jamaican double, winning the 400m hurdles in 55.10.
Scheduling the women’s individual 400m and the 4 by 400 relay on the same evening, just an hour and a quarter apart, seemed strange. But as one Courtney Okolo said with a shrug, “we are used to running races back to back in college”.
In fact Okolo wins the ‘gutsy performance of the night’ award. After finishing fifth in the individual 400m, in a disappointing time of 52.09, she found herself running the last leg of the relay against McPherson. She had opened up a lead on the Jamaican and battled to the line holding off McPherson’s late surge to give America victory in 3:24.28 by one 100th of a second.
