byStuart Weir
This is Stuart Weir’s third column of the day on Day one of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games athletics schedule.
100m
There were 10 prelims for the men’s 100m, with the following recording the fastest times:
Yupun Abeykoon (Sri Lanka) 10.06
Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya) 10.07
Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) 10.08
Akani Simbine, defending champion, ran 10.10. He commented: “I felt confident. It was good to get a clean race out and start off well. I am just going with my game plan and trying to retain my title.”
The top four in the women’s races were
Grace Nwokocha (Nigeria) 10.99
Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica) 10.99
Darryl Neita (England) 11.02
Rosemary Chukwuma (Nigeria) 11.02
Wanda Diamond League track & field meet
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Thompson-Herah commented: “Physically, I’m feeling good. That run was pretty comfortable and relaxing, and hopefully, I can take that through the competition. You have to believe in yourself because no one else can believe in you. I wanted to do well this year. It’s not on God’s watch. It’s on my watch. Whatever time I put together, I will work my way back up to the top.”
