Day 5 - Three through to the next round
Published Wed 04 Aug 2021
Australia’s javelin women, including Mackenzie Little, will occupy one quarter of the field in Friday night’s Olympic final after stamping their authority on the qualifying round, whilst Nick Hough muscled his way to the Semi-Final, and Olli Hoare ran beautifully to also advance.
Oliver Hoare (Dathan Ritzenhein) was tactically solid when running 3:36.09 to finish in third place of his heat and automatically advance to the semi-finals, leading at stages of the race before proving strong enough in the kick-down finish.
“It was a stacked heat; it could have been a final at most championships. My coach and I have had a goal of top-three in each race, try and keep an eye what’s happening and keep it honest,” he said.
“I’m fit enough for this. I’ve been training for it and will give my all in every race. As long as I represent the green and gold with pride, that’s all I can do.”
Hoare’s time is the second fastest ever by an Australian at an Olympic Games behind Herb Elliot's 3:35.6.
Jye Edwards (Dick Telford) was less fortunate in the 1500m heats when finishing in seventh place, with the first six of each heat to automatically progress. Edwards registered a time of 3:42.62 in the messy race which featured falls from multiple athletes, storming home to narrowly miss a qualifying position for the semi-finals.
Most athletes show at least a glimpse of nerves on Olympic debut, but not Mackenzie Little (Angus McEntyre). With her first ever throw at an Olympic Games, Little threw a significant personal best of 62.37m to all but secure a berth in the final of the women’s javelin.
“I just executed the things we’ve been working on, my coach was really confident about where I was at. I was able to hold my nerve and do it on the first throw so I couldn’t be happier with a PB,” she said.
“I’ve been working hard and slowly improving and I’m so glad that things have come together at the right time.”
Nick Hough’s (Anthony Benn) Olympic debut could not have got off to a worse start, with the 110m hurdler last out of the blocks in his heat. But Hough soon rallied to tear down the straight and leave the hurdles in his wake to be the third man across the line – automatically advancing to tomorrow’s semi-finals.
Given the Australian’s messy race, his time of 13.57 was enough to suggest he can challenge his 13.38 personal best if thins go to plan in the next round.
Bendere Oboya (John Quinn) managed to finish fifth in her 400m heat on Olympic debut in a time of 52.37. Oboya has had an interrupted Olympic preparation after a dominant domestic season which saw her qualify for her first Olympic Games – a debut that is not yet over with the women’s 4x400m relay to come.
Knowing the task at hand in the 5000m Heat before him, Morgan McDonald (Dathan Ritzenhein) was brave in the second heat of the 12.5 lap encounter, forced to hang on to some of the world’s best middle-distance men if he were to make the Olympic final on debut. McDonald clocked 13:37.36 to finish in 11th place as his maiden Olympic campaign drew to a close.
WEDNESDAY 4TH AUGUST
Morning Session
12:00pm: Men’s 110m Hurdles Semi-Final 1 - Nick Hough
Night Session
8:00pm: Women’s 1500m Semi-Final 1 - Jessica Hull
Non-NSW Athlete - Feature Event Tonight
10:05pm: Men’s 800m Final - Peter Bol
The following article is adapted from Lachlan Moorehouse & Athletics Australia's "Triple Threat | Day Five Review"
For the full article, see the AA article here
