Abrams’ 400m exit ends Guyana’s time at Paris Games

Aug 07, 2024 Sports

Aliyah Abrams

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – Aliyah Abrams’ exit in the repechage round of the women’s 400m brought the curtains down on Guyana’s participation at the 33rd Olympiad.

Abrams had finished fifth in her heat, but the introduction of the repechage round handed Guyana’s 400m record holder a lifeline to reach the semifinals at the Olympics for the second consecutive time.

Olympic track and field athletes who do not automatically qualify in the first round of events in the 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 100mH, 110mH, and 400mH will have an additional round to secure their spots in the semifinals.

Athletes who automatically qualify for the semifinals will continue their medal quest with a potential three rounds of competition, while those who do not qualify initially will have up to four rounds. Each athlete in these events is guaranteed at least two rounds of competition.

However, Abrams ran 51.84 seconds to finish fifth in the repechage round, bowing out of the Olympic Games.

The Paris Games was the 27-year-old’s third outing at the Olympic Games, with the 2016 event in Brazil being her first. In Rio, her time of 52.79 seconds in the heats did not qualify her for the semifinals.

Guyana’s wait for another Olympic medal after Michael Parris’ bronze in boxing at the 1980 games will continue, as the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) now shifts their focus to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.

Emanuel Archibald didn’t look his usual self in Heat 6 of the Men’s 100m, where his 10.40 seconds saw him finishing eighth.

Chelsea Edghill, competing at her second Olympics, exited in the preliminary round of the women’s singles table tennis event, losing 1-4 against Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou.

In swimming, Raekwon Noel, despite missing out on a place in the next round of the Men’s 400m freestyle, managed to reset the country’s national record in the event.

His time of 4:02.29 surpassed his previous record of 4:03.57 set at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Curacao last year. The first-time Olympian holds five national records in swimming.

Aleka Persaud delivered a sub-par performance in Paris, finishing fourth in Heat One of the Women’s 100m freestyle event. Persaud entered the pool in France with a personal best and national record in the women’s 100m freestyle of 1:00.67, set at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

However, the two-time Olympian swam 1:01.29, finishing fourth behind Zimbabwe’s Paige van der Westhuizen (59.19s), 16-year-old Tilly Collymore of Grenada (58.84s), and Botswana’s Maxine Egner (58.98s).

On his way to winning Guyana’s only Olympic medal to date, Michael Parris defeated Nureni Gbadamosi (Nigeria), Fayez Zaghloul (Syria), and Daniel Zaragoza (Mexico). But, in the bout for a chance to contest for the gold medal, Parris was defeated by Cuba’s Juan Hernandez.

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Aliyah Abrams, Guyana, participation, record, repechage

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