Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita breeze into 200m semi-finals, Shericka Jackson pulls out in disaster for Jamaica

Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita have advanced to Monday's 200m semi-final after winning their respective heats on Sunday, while Jamaica's Shericka Jackson was a non-starter. There will be a new 200m champion for the first time in eight years, with current titleholder Elaine Thompson-Herah absent through injury. The final takes place on Tuesday, August 6.

Asher-Smith 'disappointed with 100m' but 'happy' with 200m heat performance

Video credit: TNT Sports

Team GB pair Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita have both qualified for the women's 200m semi-final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Former World Champion Asher-Smith finished second in her heat and crossed the line in 22.28 seconds, while Neita strolled home in her qualifier to win in a time of 22.39.

Five-time Olympic medallist Shericka Jackson, who skipped the 100m races to focus on her 200m speciality event, was a non-starter in what has been a disastrous 24 hours for Jamaica.

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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce pulled out the 100m semi-final on Saturday, with Jamaica’s 4x100m relay title defence in doubt.

"It’s great to come out this morning after an incredible evening of little sleep, so I need to get back and recover," GB's Neita told Eurosport following her 100m effort on Saturday evening, where she finished fourth.

"One thing about me is that I don’t give up, I’ve been called Miss Momentum which I like because it’s just about carrying on that momentum and believing in myself.

"Trust me the motivation is there more than ever. I’m really excited just to progress with the rounds and fingers crossed."

Athletics - Paris 2024 - 200m Women Heat 3 - Interview - Neita

Video credit: TNT Sports

Elsewhere in the 200m heats, Saint Lucia's Julian Alfred, who became 100m champion with a stunning race on Saturday, cruised to qualification in a time of 22.41 in the opening heat.

A resurgent Bianca Williams qualified from the fifth heat, where she finished third behind USA’s Brittany Brown and Jamaica’s Lanae-Tava Thomas.

The women's semi-finals get underway on Monday, August 5 while the final will take place the following day on Tuesday, August 6 - available to stream live on discovery+.

Bird advances to steeplechase final

Elizabeth Bird stole a spot in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final after climbing from seventh to fourth in the final 30m, while Aimee Pratt missed out.

Bird was involved in the second heat and for the majority of the race cruised in the middle of the pack. She was fifth at the midway point and remained in contention for a top-five finish - which would confirm automatic qualification to the final.

Elizabeth Bird, Team GB, Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Image credit: Getty Images

She moved up to fourth as the group headed for the final stages, but was swiftly pegged back in fifth with Olivia Guerth threatening to pip her into the top five.

It looked as though a spot in the final had slipped through her fingers as she slid to seventh ahead of a frantic finish, where she dug deep to surge into the top five by six thousands of a second.

Bird will be back in action for the final on Tuesday, August 6.

Fincham-Dukes to battle for long jump gold

It was a success for Team GB in the men's long jump qualification, as Jacob Fincham-Dukes sealed his place in the final as one of the 12 best performers across the two groups.

The Brit jumped 7.96m, which did not meet the 8.15m qualification requirement, but was the third-best score in Group A.

Only current Olympic and World champion Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece and Czech Republic's Radek Juska surpassed the official qualification standard with jumps of 8.32m and 8.15m respectively.

Ojora, Nielsen qualify in hurdles

Tade Ojora recorded a season-best time of 13.35 in the men's 110m hurdles to reach the semi-finals as one of the fastest losers.

The 24-year-old from London finished fourth in his heat which was dominated by Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Grant Holloway.

Ojora's fourth spot meant he fell outside of the automatic qualification places, but he was quick enough on the day to avoid the repechage and move into the race where he will bid to reach the final.

In the women's 400m hurdles, Lina Nielsen reached the semi-finals after producing a time of 54.65, while Jessie Knight will have to rely on the repechage if she is to advance.

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