MOSCOW, Russia – Former LSU sprinters Richard Thompson and Gabriel Mvumvure saw their run to the 100-meter final come to an end in the semifinal round on Sunday afternoon while earning top-20 finishes in the event at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Athletics being held over the next week at Luzhniki Stadium.
The two former Tigers lined up in the same semifinal heat as Mvumvure took his mark in lane No. 3 and Thompson lined up in lane No. 6 needing a top-two finish for automatic qualification for the final.
Thompson, a three-time Olympic medalist for his native Trinidad & Tobago, crossed the finish line in fifth place in the heat with a time of 10.19 seconds (-0.2) after running a seasonal best of 10.14 in his qualifying round on Saturday. Mvumvure, a native of Zimbabwe, followed Thompson across the finish line in sixth place in the first semifinal heat with his time of 10.21.
They finished in 18th and 19th place, respectively, among all 100-meter semifinalists between the three heats while finishing behind USA’s Justin Gatlin (9.94), Jamaica’s Nesta Carter (9.97), France’s Jimmy Vicaut (10.01) and South Africa’s Anaso Jobodwana (10.17) in the first heat. Only Gatlin and Carter earned a spot in the final from the heat.
Two-time Olympic champion and former World champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica later blew away the field in the men’s 100-meter final as he struck gold at the World Championships for the second time in his career with a seasonal best of 9.77 (-0.3). Gatlin scored the silver medal with a time of 9.85, followed by Carter with the bronze medal with a time of 9.95.
The action continues for the LSU Track & Field contingent in Monday’s morning session when Jamaicans Isa Phillips and Nickiesha Wilson take to the track in the qualifying round of the 400-meter hurdles set to begin at 2:05 a.m. CT for the men and 2:50 a.m. CT for the women.
Time Schedule for LSU Entries at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Athletics
Note: Times are Central and subject to change based on round-by-round qualifying
Monday, August 12
TV Coverage: LIVE on Universal Sports (12:30-3:30 a.m. CT); LIVE on Universal Sports (11 a.m.-1 p.m. CT)
2:05 a.m. – Men’s 400 Hurdles Heats (Isa Phillips)
2:50 a.m. – Women’s 400 Hurdles Heats (Nickiesha Wilson)
Tuesday, August 13
TV Coverage: LIVE on Universal Sports (12:30-4:30 a.m. CT); LIVE on Universal Sports (11 a.m.-1 p.m. CT)
10:05 a.m. – Women’s 400 Hurdles Semifinals (Nickiesha Wilson)
10:40 a.m. – Men’s 400 Hurdles Semifinals (Isa Phillips)
Wednesday, August 14
TV Coverage: LIVE on Universal Sports (11:30 p.m.-3 a.m. CT)
1:25 a.m. – Men’s Long Jump Qualification (Damar Forbes)
Thursday, August 15
TV Coverage: LIVE on Universal Sports (12:30-3 a.m. CT); LIVE on Universal Sports (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT)
12:55 a.m. – Women’s 800 Meters Heats (Natoya Goule)
1:55 a.m. – Women’s 200 Meters Heats (Kimberlyn Duncan)
10:45 a.m. – Women’s 200 Meters Semifinals (Kimberlyn Duncan)
11:45 a.m. – Women’s 400 Hurdles Final (Nickiesha Wilson)
12:00 p.m. – Men’s 400 Hurdles Final (Isa Phillips)
Friday, August 16
TV Coverage: LIVE on Universal Sports (12:30-3 a.m. CT); LIVE on Universal Sports (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT)
2:30 a.m. – Women’s 4×400 Relay Heats (Rebecca Alexander)
10:30 a.m. – Men’s Long Jump Final (Damar Forbes)
11:15 a.m. – Women’s 800 Meters Semifinals (Natoya Goule)
12:15 p.m. – Women’s 200 Meters Final (Kimberlyn Duncan)
Saturday, August 17
TV Coverage: LIVE on NBC (11-11:30 a.m. CT); TAPE-DELAY on NBC (1:30-3 p.m. CT); TAPE-DELAY on Universal Sports (8-9:30 p.m. CT)
10:30 a.m. – Women’s 4×400 Relay Final (Rebecca Alexander)
Sunday, August 18
TV Coverage: TAPE-DELAY on NBC (1:30-3 p.m. CT); TAPE-DELAY on Universal Sports (6-7:30 p.m. CT)
7:50 a.m. – Men’s 4×100 Relay Heats (Richard Thompson)
8:50 a.m. – Women’s 800 Meters Final (Natoya Goule)
9:40 a.m. – Men’s 4×100 Relay Final (Richard Thompson)