Sapong almost matches PB in World U20 event

The CNMI’s Zarinae Sapong, left, and other runners on Heat 4 head to the starting line of the 100m qualifying race in the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships last Wednesday at the Zawisza Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
(IAAF Photo)

CNMI sprinter Zarinae Sapong completed her participation in the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships after racing in the 100m event last Wednesday night at the Zawisza Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Sapong timed in at 13.36 seconds on Heat 4 of the qualifying races, missing her personal best by just .01 second. The Commonwealth athlete posted her PB of 13.35 seconds during the 2016 Micronesian Athletics Championships in Pohnpei.

The Marianas High School graduate was on Lane 3 of her heat and finished eighth in the qualifying race, which Poland’s Ewa Swoboda ruled after submitting 11.10 second. Swoboda, who also posted the fastest qualifying time, made it to the semifinals along with Nigeria’s Mercy Ntia-Obong (11.62 seconds), Israel’s Diana Vaisman (11.69 seconds), South Africa’s Tamzin Thomas (11.70 seconds), and Canada’s Shyvonne Roxborough (11.78 seconds). Sapong missed the cut along with the Philippines’ Kayla Anise Richardson (11.97 seconds), and Australia’s Samantha Geddes (11.98 seconds).

Five other qualifying heats took place last Wednesday with Trinidad and Tobago’s Khalifa St. Fort (11.50 seconds), the U.S.’ Candice Hill (11.63 seconds), Great Britain’s Imani-Lara Lansiquot (11.17 seconds), Bahrain’s Imana Isa Jassim (11.66 seconds), and Colombia’s Evelyn Rivera (11.55 seconds) topping their respective groups.

Rivera was on Heat 6 and were joined to the next round by Germany’s Kahtrin Fehm and Bahrain’s Basirah Sharifa Nasir, who clocked in at 11.60 and 11.61 seconds, respectively. Jassim reigned on Heat 5 to move into the next round with Norway’s Helene Ronningen (11.69 seconds) and Spain’s Lara Gomez (11.74 seconds).

Lansiquot registered the second best qualifying time and the seven other runners on her heat (3) all advanced to the semis set for 6:05pm (Poland time) yesterday. The U.S.’ Celera Barnes (11.51 seconds), New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs (11.53 seconds), Jamaica’s Vanesha Pusey (11.60 seconds), Trinidad and Tobago’s Jenea Spinks (11.66 seconds), Norway’s Vilde Aasmo (11.71 seconds), and British Virgin Islands’ L.T. Sha Fahie (11.78 seconds) were the other qualifiers on Heat 3.

Hill led Heat 2 qualifiers and were joined by Germany’s Chantal Butzek (11.73 seocnds) and Ukraine’s Yana Kachur (11.78), while St. Fort won Heat 1, which also had Britain’s Hannah Brier (11.63 seconds) and Barbados’ Evelyn Tristan (11.81 seconds) as qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Germany is on top of the medal tally (as of 5pm yesterday Saipan time) in the six-day event with its two gold medals and one bronze. Poland also has two gold medals to place second, while China has one gold and one silver to rank third. The U.S., Ethiopia, Cuba, and Kenya have one gold each with the former adding two bronzes.