There were quite a few heartbreaks and surprises on Day 7, August 10, at IAAF World Championships in London.
South African sprint sensation Wayde van Niekerk failed to match Michael Johnson's 200m-400m double as settled for a Silver in the 200m final, conceding the title to Ramil Guliyev of Turkey, who clocked 20.09s.
There was more heartbreak as Isaac Makwala, who missed the 400m final due to illness, finished only sixth with a timing of 20.44s.
In the javelin throw qualification, there was a disappointment for Indian fans as world junior champion Neeraj Chopra came up with an under-par performance and bowed out of the meet. On the other hand, Davinder Kang, the 28-year-old Indian Army havaldar, surprised quite a few by becoming the first Indian to qualify for a world meet final.
Women's 200m in focus
There is a lot to look forward to on Friday, August 11, as we head into the last three days of the premier athletics meet. While men's decathlon and women's discuss throw qualifications will be the highlight of the morning session, women's 200m final will be one of the major attractions of the day.
The 200m women's field at World Championships was without reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson of Jamaica and bronze medallist Tori Bowie.The American sprinter won the 100m Gold in London and later opted out of the 200m event. Notably, the two athletes' season best are among the top three in 2017.
In their absence, Rio Olympic silver medallist Dafne Schippers has stepped up and qualified for the final with the fastest timing of 22.49s. She is now the favourite to win the 200m final later today.
Standing in her way is Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Bahamian sprint queen who failed dramatically in the 400m final on Wednesday, August 9, to finish fourth. The Olympic champion in 400m though recovered well in the semi-final of 200m to win the heat and qualify with the joint-fastest time of 22.49.
The 200m final though will not be a two-way race between Schippers and Miller-Uibo. Ivory Coast sprinter Marie-Josee Ta Lou also impressed with a 22.50s-run in the semi-final and she will be among the ones to watch out for.
Also in fray United States' Deajah Stevens, who has the sixth bet timing of 2017 (22.09s).
Live streaming and TV coverage information
India: TV: Star Sports Select 2/HD 2. Live streaming: Hotstar
UK: TV: BBC. Live streaming: BBC iPlayer
US: TV: NBCSN. Live streaming: NBC Sports Live
Canada: TV: CBC. Live streaming: CBC Player
Rest of Europe: TV: Eurosport. Live streaming: Eurosport Live
Africa: TV: Supersport. Live streaming: Supersport online
Also on...
Schedule of events on Friday
| Event | Round | Date |
| -- | Morning session | -- |
| Men's 100m | Decalthlon | 10am local/2:30pm IST |
| Women's Discus Throw | Qualification Group A | 10:10am local/2:40pm IST |
| Women's 100m Hurdles | Heats | 10:45am local/3:15pm IST |
| Men's Long Jump | Decathlon | 11:05am local/3:35pm IST |
| Men's High Jump | Qualification | 11:15am local/3:45pm IST |
| Women's Discus Throw | Qualification Group B | 11:35am local/4:05pm IST |
| Men's Shot Put | Decathlon | 12:55pm local/5:25pm IST |
| -- | Afternoon session | --- |
| Men's High Jump | Decathlon | 5pm local/9:30pm IST |
| Women's 100m Hurdles | Semi-final | 7:05pm local/11:35pm IST |
| Women's Long Jump | Final | 7:10pm local/11:40pm IST |
| Women's 800m | Semi-final | 7:35pm local/12:05am IST [August 12] |
| Men's 1500m | Semi-final | 8:10pm local/12:40am IST [August 12] |
| Men's Hammer Throw | Final | 8:30pm local/1am IST [August 12] |
| Men's 400m | Decathlon | 8:45pm local/1:15am IST [August 12] |
| Women's 3000m Steeplechase | Final | 9:25pm local/1:55am IST [August 12] |
| Women's 200m | Final | 9:50pm local/2:20am IST [August 12] |
