LONDON, (CMC) – Grenadian Kirani James came one step closer to adding an Olympic gold medal to his World title when he clocked a season-best time to win his semi-final and surge into the final of the men’s 400 metres at the 30th Olympiad here yesterday. The 19-year-old was timed at 44.59 as he easily brushed aside his field which included veteran Bahamian quarter-miler Chris Brown who was second in a season-best 44.67, to also qualify for Monday’s final.
James, who won his World title last year in Daegu, is favourite to take gold especially after defending Olympic champion and main threat LaShawn Merritt of the United States bowed out in the preliminary round with injury.
He enters the final with the second fastest time overall and will line up in lane five.
Meanwhile, Trinidadian Gordon Lalonde produced a sterling personal best effort to clock to win the first semi-final and clinch a spot in the final as the fastest qualifier.
He crossed the line in 44.58 seconds, pulling with him Bahamian Demetrius Pinder who clocked 44.94 seconds.
Tabarie Henry of the US Virgin Islands won a season-best 45.19 but finished down the field and joined Bahamian Ramon Miller (45.11) and Jamaican Dane Hyatt (45.59) in missing out on the final.
Earlier, Jamaicans Novlene Williams-Mills and Rosemarie Whyte, the latter of whom was contesting her second straight Olympics final, finished out of the medals in the corresponding women’s event.
Williams-Mills was sixth in 50.11 while Whyte clocked 50.79 for eighth, as Jamaica-born American Sanya Richards-Ross claimed gold in 49.55.
In the day’s other final, Jamaica’s triple jump pair of Kimberly Williams (14.48m) and Trecia Smith, the former World champion (14.35), were sixth and seventh respectively.
Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan won with 14.98.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, the Jamaican trio of defending champion Melaine Walker, Kaliese Spencer and Nickiesha Wilson all advanced to the semi-finals.
Spencer, who ran in heat two, was the first to book her spot with a season best 54.02, finishing second to Natalya Antyukh of Russia who won in 53.90, the fastest time of the day.
In heat four, Wilson had to dig deep to take second place in 55.53, behind Georganne Moline of United States who did a personal best 54.31.
Likewise, Walker did not have things her way in the fifth and final heat and battled to second in 54.78, as she followed home British Perri-Shakes-Drayton (54.62).
Janeil Bellille of Trinidad and Tobago did not make it as she finished seventh in heat four with 57.27.