Julien Alfred Targets Olympic Dash Double As ‘vicious’ 1500m Battle Looms

Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred targets an Olympic dash double on Tuesday as Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr go face to face in a 1500m grudge match that guarantees fireworks. The primary boxing gold is up for grabs at Roland Garros, the house of French tennis, however all eyes will probably be on Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who’s on the centre of a gender controversy. Alfred, who stormed to victory within the girls’s 100m on Saturday, is the primary athlete from the tiny Caribbean island of Saint Lucia to win an Olympic medal.

Now she is searching for to emulate Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, who did the 100m-200m double on the Rio 2016 Video games and on the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics.

Alfred received her semi-final on Monday in 21.98 seconds however was pipped within the general occasions by US sprinter Gabrielle Thomas, who crossed the road in 21.86.

Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson withdrew earlier than her warmth on Sunday.

Thomas, trying to improve from bronze in Tokyo, has the quickest time on this planet this yr with 21.78sec and has made no secret of the truth that a gold medal is in her sights.

‘Vicious’ 1500m

The conflict on the Stade de France between Norway’s Ingebrigtsen and his British rival Kerr within the males’s 1500m is not going to be one for the faint-hearted.

The 26-year-old Kerr completed second behind Ingebrigtsen in Sunday’s semi-final, with the 2 eye-balling one another for the ultimate 20 metres.

The Norwegian has had a number of digs at Kerr for the reason that Briton edged him in final yr’s closing on the world championships, claiming he usually skips occasions.

Kerr says he’s at all times on the main championships and has predicted the ultimate will probably be one of many “most vicious and hardest” individuals have ever seen.

The British runner, who took bronze behind 23-year-old Ingebrigtsen in Tokyo, mentioned he wished to do his speaking on the observe.

“I am able to go after it, I feel all of us are, there’s been a number of speaking during the last sort of 12 months, even two years, so I am simply trying to settle that a little bit bit on Tuesday and provides it my finest efficiency.”

Boxing row

Algerian boxer Khelif, who faces Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand within the semi-finals of the 66-kilogram division, is assured no less than bronze in Paris.

Khelif and one other boxer, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, had been disqualified from final yr’s world championships by the Worldwide Boxing Affiliation after failing gender eligibility checks.

The boxing within the French capital is run by the Worldwide Olympic Committee due to monetary, governance and moral considerations on the IBA. 

The IOC cleared the 2 boxers to struggle and Lin can be assured a medal.

Within the girls’s soccer competitors, World Cup holders Spain and four-time gold medallists america are heading in the right direction for a showdown in Saturday’s closing.

Led by reigning Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Spain face shock semi-finalists Brazil in Marseille, whereas a rejuvenated USA underneath new coach Emma Hayes meet Germany in Lyon.

“We’re so assured going into video games. That comes from Emma. She believes in us a lot,” mentioned ahead Sophia Smith when requested concerning the impression of the brand new coach.

Observe biking powerhouse Britain received the primary gold on supply on Monday within the girls’s staff dash and will probably be trying to double up within the males’s occasion.

China’s dominant divers are chasing a fifth gold within the girls’s 10m platform as they appear to comb the competitors.

Earlier than Paris awakened on Tuesday morning, two gold medals had been determined within the Olympic browsing competitors 15,000 kilometres away in Tahiti, the place the time distinction meant it was nonetheless Monday afternoon.

France’s Kauli Vaast received males’s browsing Olympic gold, whereas america’ Caroline Marks claimed gold within the girls’s.

The victory for Marks put the USA high of the Olympics medal desk on 21 golds, simply forward of China, who’ve the identical variety of golds however fewer silver and bronze medals. 

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