BEIJING, China, Sporting Alert – Kaliese Spencer will lineup in the second semi-final of the women’s 400m hurdles and will take on American world leader Shamier Little in Beijing.
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Spencer, who is healthy again after a setback because of a foot problem, clocked a relatively comfortable 55.03 seconds to win her first round heat on Sunday morning and is expected to take things up another notch as she seeks to win her World Championship medal.
The Jamaican Commonwealth Games champion finished fourth at the 2009 and 2011 world championships and was also fourth at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
Spencer entered the 2013 championships in Moscow, as one of the favourites, but failed to advance past the first round after she was disqualified.
American and NCAA champion Little, who recently dominated the event at the Pan American Games in Canada and has a personal best of 53.74, will also line up in the semi-finals and will have her eyes well set on making the medal race.
The World Junior champion started the champion as one of the gold medal contenders, after her impressive season thus far, but she struggled in the first round and will need to improve on her fourth-place 56.22 secs performance if she wants to make the final.
Denmark’s Sara Petersen, who is having an impressive season and has already posted a 53.99 secs time this season, the fourth fastest time for the year, will also be in semi-final two and she too is expected to book a place in the final.
Defending champion Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic will race from semis three where she will take on USA’s Kori Carter, Jamaica’s Janieve Russell and Great Britain’s Meghan Beesley, who set a personal best of 54.52 secs in the heats.
Semi-final one will see American Cassandra Tate, South Africa’s Wenda Nel and Great Britain’s Eilidh Child battling for the places to make the decider.
Fraser-Pryce Primed For Another Gold
Meanwhile, world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce goes in search of another major championships title when she race from semi-final one of the women’s 100m dash.
The Jamaican back-to-back Olympic gold medalist, who ran a slightly wind-aided 10.88 secs in the heats, will lead a very strong lineup that also includes Commonwealth Games champion Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria.
USA’s English Gardner and Jamaican Sherone Simpson are also in the heat as well.
Tori Bowie of USA is in the second semis with Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica’s Natasha Morrison.
The third semi-final will see Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, Netherlands Dafne Schippers and Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye racing for places in the final.
The final of the event will take place on Monday night, Beijing time.
FULL SCHEDULE FOR DAY 3
MORNING SESSION
LOCAL TIME MY TIME SEX EVENT ROUND
09:30 20:30 (23 AUG) W Pole Vault Qualification
09:35 20:35 (23 AUG) W Discus Throw Qualification Group A
09:45 20:45 (23 AUG) W 3000 Metres Steeplechase Heats
10:00 21:00 (23 AUG) M Long Jump Qualification
10:45 21:45 (23 AUG) W 400 Metres Heats
10:55 21:55 (23 AUG) W Discus Throw Qualification Group B
AFTERNOON SESSION
LOCAL TIME MY TIME SEX EVENT ROUND
19:00 06:00 M Javelin Throw Qualification Group A
19:05 06:05 M Pole Vault Final
19:10 06:10 W 400 Metres Hurdles Semi-Final
19:30 06:30 W Triple Jump Final
19:40 06:40 W 100 Metres Semi-Final
20:05 07:05 M 400 Metres Semi-Final
20:25 07:25 M Javelin Throw Qualification Group B
20:35 07:35 W 10,000 Metres Final
21:15 08:15 M 3000 Metres Steeplechase Final
21:35 08:35 W 100 Metres Final
