Canada's Camryn Rogers reaches hammer throw final at World Athletics Championships
Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney through to men's 200m semis
Camryn Rogers is through to the hammer throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
The 24-year-old, who won silver at last year's worlds, threw 73.95 metres in her second toss to reach Thursday's medal round in the Hungarian capital.
Rogers, of Richmond, B.C., told CBC Sports' Andi Petrillo after qualifying that she doesn't feel an increased target on her back given her 2022 success.
"As we've seen in this championship alone, so many athletes have come up and [posted-personal records] and had the day of their lives when it matters most, and I think anything can happen in a world championship," she said. "Knowing that I'm here competing with the best of the best elevates that excitement for me."
Rogers is hoping to become the second Canadian field athlete to reach the podium after Ethan Katzberg won gold in men's hammer throw.
"I think we have the best throw squad," Rogers said. "Ethan really set the stage with that one... I think they really opened up this championship for Canadians to make a statement on the world stage."
Hanna Skydan, of Azerbaijan, had the top throw in Wednesday's qualifying with a heave of 77.10 metres, followed by American DeAnna Price (76.25) and Finland's Silja Kosonen (74.19).
Earlier, sprinters Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse all qualified for the men's 200-metre semis.
Toronto's Brown had the fastest time among the three Canadians, posting a 20.08-second time and finishing second in his heat, and fourth overall.
"It's nerve-racking waiting for your turn," he said post-race of getting to compete. "I chose to drop the 100 just to focus on the [200], because I knew there are some big dogs in the (200) this year, so I could give my best shot, put all my eggs in one basket.
"So far it's paying off and I felt pretty good running from lane two, running 20.0, and happy to finally get my feet wet."
Reigning Olympic champion De Grasse, of Markham, Ont., finished in 20.28 and was 12th among all sprinters.
The 28-year-old, who qualified for the event on the final day of the qualifying window on July 30 when he won the national title in a season-best 20.01 seconds, was content with how things have turned out so far despite a tough season.
"This season has been a lot more of a struggle than previous seasons. Usually when I come into champs, I know where I'm at, I know what it's going to take," he said post-race. "But this champs, at first, I was a little bit on edge, I didn't know what I'd be able to take, not trying to go too hard but still trying to put together a solid run to get a top-three performance.
"It turned out pretty well so now I've just got to put together a little bit more pieces and a sub-20 [second] performance could happen."
Rodney, of Etobicoke, Ont., posted a season's best time of 20.18, good enough for the sixth-fastest time in the heats.
"I never worry about Andre at the biggest stage because I'm very squarely in that second camp that when it matters most, he turns up," said CBC Sports analyst Kate Van Buskirk.
"He's a gamer. He and his team do a fabulous job of peaking exactly when it matters."
WATCH | Kate Van Buskirk reacts to biggest storylines from Day 5 in Budapest:
Also, Toronto's Jazz Shukla advanced into the women's 800 semifinals with a personal-best time of two minutes 30 seconds. Madeleine Kelly of Pembroke, Ont., failed to qualify at 2:04.72.
Vancouver's Regan Yee narrowly missed qualification in the women's 3,000 steeplechase with a time of nine minutes 26.39 seconds.
"It just is not a good feeling when your best isn't enough," Yee told Petrillo while holding back tears. "That's sport though."
Ceili McCabe, also of Vancouver, won't advance either with her time of 9:29.30.
Canada's Julie-Ann Staehli, Briana Scott and Erin Teschuk were each eliminated in the women's 5,000 heats.
Michelle Harrison was knocked out in the women's 100 hurdles, placing eighth in her heat at 13.05 seconds.
The 30-year-old Saskatoon, Sask., native also reached the semifinals last year, when a personal-best clocking of 12.74 seconds wasn't enough to race for a medal.
Ingebrigsten upset in men's 1,500
Britain's Josh Kerr pulled off the biggest upset of the world championships, outrunning heavily favoured Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway to the line for a win in the 1,500.
Kerr finished in 3:29.28 to join Jake Wightman as the second British runner in two years to upset Ingebrigtsen at worlds.
The 22-year-old Norwegian is the Olympic champion and has the fastest times this season. He came in as a 1-7 betting favourite but has yet to cross the line first in the 1,500 at a world-championship meet.
"I get it. He's a superstar. He chokes under pressure though, and we've seen it time and time again in the 1,500," Van Buskirk said. "And it's that tension in his body when he's challenged on the outside, which is exactly what our eventual winner Josh Kerr did. And two years in a row, a Brit comes up in the final metres of the race."
Ingebrigtsen told Petrillo he'd battled a sore throat over the past couple days.
"Today was not a good day for me. ... All credit to Kerr, but obviously I wasn't 100 per cent today," he said.
This silver goes with the one from last year, along with a second place at indoor world championships in 2022 and at junior worlds in 2018.
Ingebrigtsen will have another chance later this week when he defends his title in the 5,000.
Moon, Kennedy share pole vault gold
American Katie Moon and Australia's Nina Kennedy decided to share the gold medal in a dramatic women's pole vault final.
The two women cleared 4.90 in an event that stretched two hours 10 minutes, but both missed on all three attempts at 4.95 and decided to share the victory rather than go to a jump-off.
It was the second consecutive world title for Moon, who also won Olympic gold in Tokyo. The 4.90 mark was a national record for Kennedy and a personal best by eight centimetres.
Wilma Murto of Finland tied her season's best of 4.80 for bronze, missing all three of her attempts at 4.85. The 25-year-old became the first Finnish woman to win a Diamond League title when she beat Moon at the London event on July 23.
Warholm reclaims hurdles gold
Karsten Warholm of Norway returned to the top of the global podium, racing to gold in the 400 hurdles.
The world record holder and Olympic champion ran 46.89, pulling away from American Rai Benjamin heading into the home straight.
The 27-year-old won the 2017 and 2019 world championships, but struggled to seventh at the worlds last season in Eugene, Ore., when he was hampered by an injury.
Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands crossed in 47.34 for silver, while Benjamin, silver medallist last year in Eugene, faded to take bronze in 47.56.
American 100m champs get off to a fast start in 200
Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles each kicked off their quest for a second medal by easily winning their 200 heats.
Richardson finished in 22.16 seconds and Lyles in 20.05 in a pair of no-drama returns to the track after they gave the United States the first sweep of the 100 at a worlds since 2017, when Justin Gatlin and Tori Bowie won in London.
Three women who have run faster than Richardson in the 200 this year — Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, St. Lucia's Julien Alfred and the United States' Gabby Thomas — also qualified easily.
Defending 800 Olympic and world champion Athing Mu, who wavered on running at the worlds through much of the summer, showed up and won her opening heat.
Heats for the women's 5,000, where Faith Kipyegon opens her quest for a second medal after winning the 1,500 on Tuesday, were moved to the evening session because of the heat. The temperature in Budapest reached 32 C at noon, with the 55 per cent humidity making it feel like 34 C.
Watch Athletics North every day during the World Athletics Championships on CBCSports.ca and CBC Sports YouTube Channel for a rundown of the day's top stories and events. Rob Pizzo will be joined by our track and field analysts, including Morgan Campbell, to bring you the latest storylines.
With files from The Associated Press, The Canadian Press and Reuters
