Adam Gemili suffers more Olympic misery as hamstring injury ruins 200m hopes
Adam Gemili suffered more Olympic misery when he walked his 200 metres heat as Team GB’s nightmare on the track continued.
The 27-year-old had his right thigh heavily strapped and pulled up immediately in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo
He tore his hamstring in his last blocks session before final call to add to Team GB’s problems and finished in one minute 58.58 seconds after his lonely trudge to the line.
“The last run, literally the last run before I came into the call room, the last blocks start and I felt it go,” he said.
Recommended
“It’s my hamstring. I had to try but I’m in so much pain right now – I said to my physio, just strap it up and let me at least try to push out but I can tell straight away.
“You don’t just cramp up when you sprint, it was a tear. I can’t believe this has happened.”
Team GB are yet to win a medal in the Olympic Stadium after Zharnel Hughes false-started in the 100m final with Reece Prescod also disqualified in the semi-finals.
Dina Asher-Smith suffered a serious hamstring injury last month and pulled out of the 200m after failing to reach the 100m final while Katarina Johnson-Thompson comes into the heptathlon on Wednesday after rupturing her Achilles in December.
Gemili finished fourth by one thousandth of a second in the final in Rio five years ago and also came fourth at the World Championships in 2019.
Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake also failed to qualify after coming fifth in his heat in 20.56secs.
Jazmin Sawyers and Abigail Irozuru missed out on the medals in the long jump final as Germany’s Malaika Mihambo took gold.
Sawyers finished eighth with a best jump of 6.80m while Irozuru came 11th with 6.51m.
Jake Wightman at least reached the 1500m semi-finals after coming through his heat unscathed.
The 27-year-old finished third in three minutes and 41.18secs at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.
Team-mate Josh Kerr came seventh in his heat in three minutes and 36.29secs, with only the top six qualifying automatically, but will progress as one of the next six fastest. Jake Heywood won his heat to also go through.
Wightman said: “It’s the most nerve-racking round isn’t it, you’re worried you’re going to be embarrassed. I’m glad I managed to stay on my feet and get through.”
Jodie Williams and Ama Pipi reached the 400m semi-finals but Nicole Yeargin was disqualified for a lane infringement.
Williams added: “It felt great, like I didn’t really put a huge amount into any of it really and I felt really smooth in that first 300m and I just tried to put myself in a really good position coming off the top bend.”
Source: Read Full Article