RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, Sporting Alert – Several personal bests, national records and season bests are expected to be achieved at the end of the women’s 400m final in the evening session on Day 4 of track and field action at Rio 2016 on Monday night.
Watch Live Streaming on NBCOlympic and Online Streaming Platforms, at 7:30 pm ET.
The pre-Olympic favourites are reigning world champion Allyson Felix of USA and Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller, who finished behind the American in Beijing, last summer, but they are expected to have lots of company as the battle for the medals will not be easy.
Six of the eight women for Monday night’s final have gone under 50-seconds over the 400m in their career, with five of them breaking that barrier this year as well.
Felix and Miller are expected to be the ones battling for the gold medal, but Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Americans Natasha Hastings and Phyllis Francis looked impressive in their semi-final heats – well enough to spring a surprise on the favourites.
Felix got the better of Miller in a very exciting semi-final on Sunday night, while Francis and Jackson, who ran a personal best of 49.83 seconds in the last round – finished impressively to take their respective semis.
All four runners dipped under 50-seconds in the semis.
Hastings, who finished behind Jackson also ran quicker than 50-seconds in the semi-final.
European champion Libania Grenot of Italy could also be one of the athletes to watch in the race for a medal.
Another final in Monday night’s evening session is the men’s 800m, where defending champion and world record holder David Rudisha of Kenya will seek to defend the title he won in London four-years-ago.
In the men’s sprint obstacles, world leader Omar McLeod of Jamaica will start his hunt for the Olympic gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdles when he races in the first heat of the event.
USA’s Jeff Porter will also be in Heat 1 of the event.
Also starting in the 110m hurdles heat on Monday night are Spain’s Orlando Ortega, Dimitri Bascou of France and USA’s Devon Allen.
AFTERNOON SESSION
ET TIME SEX EVENT ROUND
19:30 W Discus Throw Qualification Group A
19:35 M Pole Vault Final
19:40 M 110 Metres Hurdles Heats
20:30 W 400 Metres Hurdles Heats
20:50 W Discus Throw Qualification Group B
21:25 M 800 Metres Final
21:45 W 400 Metres Final
