Tokyo, Japan – Former LSU sprinter Michael Cherry was the top American finisher in the finals of the 400 meter dash on Thursday morning at the Tokyo Olympics. Cherry finished fourth with a personal best time of 44.21.
In what was his first Olympic appearance, Cherry put up a great race against the world’s fastest runners. He made a big push to earn a medal coming down the home stretch but was narrowly outleaned by former Olympic champ, Kirani James, who finished third with a time of 44.19. Anthony Zambrano (Colombia/44.08) and Steven Gardiner (Bahamas/43.85) took the top two spots in the race.
The Olympics aren’t done just yet for Cherry as he will prepare for the finals of the 4×400 meter relay. The 4×400 meter relay squad for the first round has yet to be announced, but more than likely, Cherry will only run the finals. Fellow LSU sprinter and 4×400 meter mixed relay bronze medalist, Vernon Norwood, has a chance to get the call for the 4×400 meter relay as well. The first round of the 4×400 meter relay is Friday morning at 6:25 a.m. CT, and the final is on Saturday morning at 6:50 a.m. CT.
Cherry, Norwood, Aleia Hobbs, and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake will be LSU’s final athletes in action. Hobbs anchored the USA 4×100 meter relay to second in their heat on Wednesday night with a time of 41.90. The final for the 4×100 meter relay will be run on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. CT. Mitchell-Blake anchored Great Britain to a second place finish in their 4×100 meter relay heat as well with a time of 38.02, and the men’s finals will be at 8:50 a.m. CT Friday morning.