In a national athletics stadium still transformed into an oven, the semi-finals of the 100m men gave rise to a huge surprise on Sunday: the defending champion, the American Fred Kerley, only took 3rd place in his race in 10”02 and did not qualify for the final on time.
Another much more predictable elimination: that of the Italian Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, only 5th in 10”05 of his race, but whose very precarious state of form on arriving in Budapest did not bode well.
Noah Lyles (9”87) won his semi-final (+ 0.3 m/s) ahead of the Japanese Hakim Sani Brown (9”97) while the Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala, 3rd in 10”01 qualified at the time.
In the second semi-final, South African Akani Simbine suffered a false start. The victory went to the American Chris Coleman in 9”88 (zero wind), ahead of the Briton Zharnel Hughes (9”93) and the Jamaican Ryem Forde (9”95), qualified on time.
And so, in the 3rd semi-final, the Jamaican Oblique Seville beat in 9”90 (-0.3 m/s) the Batswana Letsile Tebogo (9”98) and Kerley, very annoyed to the point of not first go to the mixed zone.
“I’m not really devastated, then indicated the American. This is the goal of the game of this event: to find the best. My opponents were better today. There were a few movements in the starting blocks before the start, but otherwise I have nothing in particular to say. I just have to move on. It was a terrible race for me, but I’m fine, healthy and life goes on. If I’m still in the stadium, I’ll watch the final. I think the United States will do the double. »
We will therefore find in the final: Lyles, Sani Brown, Coleman, Hughes, Seville, Tebogo, Forde and Omanyala. Meet at 7:10 p.m.