Day Seven of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 saw three Australian women compete in the semi-final of the 1500m – Linden Hall, Jessica Hull and Georgia Griffith.
Jessica Hull and Linden Hall both started in the second semi-final, which would turn out to be the quickest 1500m semi in World Championship history. NCAA Champion Hull ran a personal best in 4:01.80 for eighth, missing out as one of the fastest qualifiers by just 0.28 secs. Linden Hall came home in a solid 10th place, clocking 4:06.39.
Georgia Griffith, the fastest of all three yesterday, was in the first semi-final and took 10th place, in a time of 4:17.15.
Ryan Gregson, Matthew Ramsden and Stewart McSweyn were looking to replicate the semi-final qualification sweep by the Australian women in their 1500m heats.
It was a real bun fight in Heat 2, with Matthew Ramsden being tripped and falling on the first lap, he finished in 13th place with a time of 3:47.59 but was put through to the semi-final after an appeal.
Stewart McSwyen finished the third and final heat in 9th place, clocking 3:36.88 – a time that was easily quick enough to see him through to the semi-finals as one of the fastest qualifiers.
Ryan Gregson was in Heat 1, taking 11th place with a time of 3:38.69, but would not progress to the semis.
Cedric Dubler started the second day of the Decathlon in 14th place with 4135 points. The 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist moved up to 10th place after clocking a Decathlon PB in the 110m hurdles in 14.13 for 958 points, which took him up to a total of 5093 points.
After recording a best throw of 44.30m in the Discus (752 points) and a height of 4.70m in the pole vault (8.19 points), the multi-eventer threw a new personal best of 59.04m in the Javelin, sending him into the last event sitting in 11th place on 7387 points.
The final three laps of the Doha 2019 track took Dubler up to 8101 points and 11th position, after clocking 4:34.75 (714 points) in the 1500m.
Ramsden and McSwyen will be back tomorrow night for the 1500m semi-finals, followed by the opening heats of the 4x100m relay.
In the field, Brandon Starc competes in the High Jump final and out along the waterfront of Doha’s Corniche, Dane Bird-Smith and Rhydian Cowley compete in the 20km race walk.
Action starts at 20:10 (03:10 AEST), broadcast live and exclusively on Eurosport Australia (Foxtel).
Athletics Australia
