Jereem places second in brisk heat, advances to men's 400m semis

Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards advanced to the semifinals of the men's 400-metre event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games when he ran a time of 44.31 seconds to place second in the second of six heats at the Stade de France on August 4.

Running out of the tricky lane nine, Richards got out quickly and ran a strong race — keeping his momentum as he came around the bend to ensure he finished among the three automatic qualifiers.

The heat was won by American Michael Norman, who ran a season's best time of 44.10 — the fastest time among all competitors in the heats. Botswana's Busang Collen Kebinatshipi finished brilliantly and he came from behind to grab third spot in a personal best time of 44.45.

Richards' time was the third-best in the heats, and it was only bettered by Norman and his US teammate Quincy Hall, who clocked 44.28 to win heat four.

The 2024 season has been a fruitful one for the 2022 world indoor champion Richards, who met the qualifying standard for both the 200m and 400m events at these Olympic Games. At the London Diamond League last month, Richards established a new 400m personal best time of 44.18 to grab the bronze medal.

Richards has said he'll only contest the 400m event in Paris, and he will get the chance to vie for a place in the final when he contests the semis on August 6.

Before that, though, the athletes who finished outside of the automatic qualifying spots in the heats, will get a second opportunity to earn semifinal qualification via the repechage round which runs off from 5.20 am (TT time) on August 5.

On a day which saw Jamaican star Shericka Jackson withdrawing from her women's 200m heat, Steven Gardiner, the men's 400m champion from Tokyo 2021, was a non-starter from his men's 400m heat on August 4 and will not defend his title. Grenada's Kirani James, the 2012 men's 400m Olympic champion, won heat five in 44.78 seconds.