Tag: Championships

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Canadian decathlete Pierce LePage maintains lead with 2 events to go at world championships | CBC Sports

Canadian decathlete Pierce LePage maintains lead with 2 events to go at world championships | CBC Sports

With just two events remaining in the decathlon, Canada’s Pierce LePage is still leading the field at the World Athletics Championships. 

The javelin and 1,500-metre events are set for Sunday night in Eugene. Ore., and will determine the world champion. 

LePage is in first with 7,337 points after eight events.

American Zach Ziemek is in second with 7,256 points. World record holder Kevin Mayer has shot up to third place after a strong pole vault effort. He now has 7,251 points.

After three consecutive personal-best performances in the 400 metres, 110m hurdles and discus, LePage was able to maintain his lead while clearing 5.00 metres in pole vault — an event he enjoys. 

“You train all day, every day, all the time. Pole vault is my favourite event. It’s pretty rewarding to jump in the air.”

Earlier Sunday, LePage was brimming with confidence. 

He fired the discus a whopping 53.26 metres to rocket to the top of the leaderboard. It’s a full two metres farther than his previous best throw in the event.

WATCH | LePage takes lead with discus throw:

LePage’s personal best discus throw has him 2nd in decathlon

Canadian Pierce LePage posted a 53.26m throw in the discus to put him in second place at the World Athletics Championships.

Just before that, LePage clocked a personal-best time of 13.78 seconds in the 110-metre hurdles, the fastest time of all competitors, to pull within 108 points of second. 

Despite the strong run, LePage admits hurdles are a challenge for him. 

“I hate hurdles with a passion,” the six-foot-seven decathlete said. 

“People say to me all the time I’m so tall and it would be so easy to get over them. I’m too tall. I’m stutter-stepping. It’s frustrating.”

WATCH | LePage posts top time in hurdles:

Pierce LePage posts top time in decathlon hurdles

The Canadian sits in second place after six of ten decathlon events at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

On Saturday night, LePage finished day one of competition with his best-ever performance in the 400-metre to go from fifth to second. 

LePage ran the 400m in a time of 46.84 to put himself within striking distance of gold going into the final day.

Olympic champ forced to withdraw

While the 26-year-old from Whitby, Ont., was speeding across the track on Saturday night, disaster struck for Olympic champion Damian Warner.

Shortly into the 400m, Warner grabbed his left hamstring, hobbled for a few steps and then fell to the Hayward Field track.

WATCH | Damian Warner suffers injury:

Warner out of men’s decathlon, LePage sits 2nd in Eugene

Olympic gold medallist Damian Warner pulled out of the men’s 400m heats due to an apparent injury on Saturday.

He laid on there for a number of minutes before being helped up. It was a gut-wrenching scene for the 32-year-old who was looking for his first worlds title. 

Warner’s competition is over.

“I’m not sure what happened. I felt my hamstring pull a couple of times. I was in lane one so it felt like it was pretty tight. I was trying to stay in my lane. I felt like something went wrong and I couldn’t continue,” he told CBC Sports.

WATCH | Damian Warner emotional after ‘disappointing’ end:

Warner emotional after ‘disappointing’ end to World Championships

CBC Sports’ Scott Russell catches up with Damian Warner after his heartbreaking finish in the men’s decathlon.

LePage has been Warner’s understudy for years, watching his every move at every meet and trying to keep up with the Olympic champion. 

“Damian is a great friend. A great competitor. Every meet I’ve gone to he’s been there. He’s the lead by example guy,” LePage said.

He recalls a story when they were in Tokyo preparing for the 400m. 

“He was having shots of balsamic vinegar. I was having mustard packets. We were looking at each other in disgust and bonding over that. Gotta keep that lactic acid down,” LePage said. 

“I ran a PB so there will be more mustard packets in my future. But I did take a balsamic shot with him. It might be the only time Damian takes shots.”

LePage, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, started the competition on Saturday by running the second-fastest 100m in a time of 10.39. He finished fifth as well at the last world championships in Doha three years ago.

WATCH l Warner, LePage 1-2 after 100m:

Canada’s Warner, LePage 1-2 after 100m in decathlon at worlds

Olympic champion Damian Warner leads the decathlon with a time of 10.27 in the 100m ahead of fellow Canadian Pierce LePage in 10.39 at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.

LePage has been quiet about the fact that during the Olympics last summer he competed with a torn patella — he didn’t want it to be a distraction or a reason to not compete at his best. 

“I learned a lot of resilience. It was a pretty big tear,” he said. “I had a torn patella the entire meet. I don’t like having excuses. It was an experience I will never forget and I learned from it.”

LePage says he’s feeling great and is now fully recovered from the injury.

In the long jump event, LePage, who has a personal-best distance of 7.80m, posted a result of 7.54m. That was a season-best distance for LePage and gave him 945 points for a total of 1,946.

Despite struggling on his first two shot put attempts, LePage was able to find his form on his final throw.

His first two throws were 14.26m and 14.29m. But needing a strong finish, LePage was able to throw his last attempt 14.83m for 779 points. 

Season-best high jump

Then it was time for the high jump. 

LePage, who had dropped to fourth position after shot put, attempted his first jump at a height of 1.96m in the other group.

He failed to clear it to start but was able to soar easily over the bar on his second effort — that was a season-best jump by LePage. But he wasn’t done there.

LePage promptly cleared 1.99m on his first attempt, racking up valuable points in the standings. However, he was unable to clear 2.02m, having to settle for 794 points. That dropped LePage to fifth heading into the final event of day one. 

That’s when LePage was able to post a personal-best time of 46.84 in the 400m to close out day one and shoot him up the standings to second. 

Action from Day 2 of the event continues on Sunday evening. You can watch the finish of the decathlon on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

(CBC)

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World Athletics Championships 2022: When and where to watch athletics events live?

World Athletics Championships 2022

The 2022 World Athletics Championships will be the 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships and the US hosting the most prestigious event in the sport for the first time. The 10-day grand sporting event will host 2,000 athletes representing more than 200 nations, who will aim to give their best performance across 49 track and field disciplines and realize their lifelong dream.

Contestants from India in World Athletics Championships 2022: For India, Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra will lead the country’s charge, heading a strong contingent that will include: Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Men’s Shot Put), Kamalpreet Kaur (Women’s Discus Throw), Priyanka Goswami (Women’s 20km Race Walk), Rahul Rohilla (Men’s 20km Race Walk), Sandeep Kumar (Men’s 20km Race Walk), Murali Sreeshankar (Men’s Long
Jump), Jeswin Aldrin (Men’s Long Jump), Abdulla Aboobacker (Men’s Triple Jump), Avinash Sable (Men’s 3000m Steeplechase), Praveen Chitravel (Men’s Triple Jump), Seema Punia (Women’s discus throw) along with a team for the men’s 4×400 relay and more.

When will the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 start?

The World Athletics Championships Oregon22 is scheduled from July 15 to July 24, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon, United States.

Where to watch the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 live?

The World Athletics Championships Oregon22, will be live telecast across SONY TEN 2 channels in India.

Where will the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 be live-streamed?

The World Athletics Championships Oregon22 will be livestreamed on SonyLIV.

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Singapore ‘committed’ to hosting sporting events despite unsuccessful 2025 World Athletics Championships bid: SportSG

Singapore 'committed' to hosting sporting events despite unsuccessful 2025 World Athletics Championships bid: SportSG

The event will return to the site of last year’s Olympic Games in the year that the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) celebrates its centenary.

“Singapore congratulates Tokyo for being awarded the host city for the World Athletics Championships for 2025. While the decision did not go Singapore’s way, we believe that through this bid process we have strengthened our relationship with World Athletics and demonstrated the potential for athletics in Southeast Asia,” said the SportSG spokesperson.

“We remain committed to bringing international sporting events to Singapore and will continue to pursue sporting events that are aligned to our strategic interests. We thank World Athletics for the opportunity to participate in this bid and wish them all the best for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 and beyond.”

World Athletics said in a press release that Singapore, Nairobi and Silesia were all deemed “strong enough and experienced enough to host the event”.

Tokyo, however, scored the highest of the four candidates in the bid evaluation across four areas.

In March, SportSG announced its bid to host the World Championships in 2025. If it had been successful, it would have been the first time the event was held in Southeast Asia.

Singapore previously hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and the Southeast Asian Games in 2015. In motorsport, it hosts a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

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What to know about the track and field world championships

What to know about the track and field world championships

The track and field world championships, the sport’s largest stage outside of the Olympics, are about to be contested in North America for the first time. Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., the spiritual home of track and field in the United States, will host the planet’s fastest runners, longest throwers and highest fliers over 10 days starting Friday.

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More events planned after staging of Mexican Sambo Championships

About 90 sambists competed in last month’s Mexican Sambo Championships ©International Sambo Federation

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Shericka Jackson’s feat makes the women’s sprint events a must watch at World Athletics Championships next month

Shericka Jackson’s feat makes the women’s sprint events a must watch at World Athletics Championships next month

For a while the worry for the world of athletics has been who will fill the void left by the great sprinter Usain Bolt. The World Championships in Oregon is next month and Yohan’s Blake’s return to form with a blistering 9.85 seconds, his best timing in a decade, could not have come at a better moment. In the 200 metres, the build up to the showdown between defending world champion Noah Lyles and the next big star Erriyon Knighton got even bigger when Lyles beat the 18-year-old to win the men’s 200m final at the US Athletics Championships.

Lyles showed why he is in the form of his life as he gained ground on the straight after Knighton was ahead coming out of the curve. While Blake and Lyles have been in focus, the women have gone about setting the track on fire ahead of the Worlds.

On Sunday at the Jamaican Championships in Kingston, Shericka Jackson (21.55 seconds) ran the third-fastest 200 metres in history to complete the sprint double and laid down the marker for her countrymates Elaine Thompson-Herah (22.05) and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (22.14) who finished second and third respectively.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to run this fast. I knew I was in good shape and when I spoke to the coach yesterday, he wanted a proper execution and the curve was one of the areas discussed. I think I did well on the curve, my coach told me to run the first 100m hard and do whatever I want afterwards. I am just grateful,” Jackson was quoted as saying by World Athletics website.

Jackson had also won her first Jamaican national in the 100 metres with a season best of 10.77 (0.9m/s).

Jackson is now only third behind Florence Griffith-Joyner’s (21.34) and Thompson-Herah’s (21.53) when it comes to the 200 metres.

If Jackson can keep this form going, and Fraser-Pryce runs both the sprint events it will be thrilling to watch the women’s 100 and 200 metres.

In fact, Thompson-Herah is gunning for Griffith-Joyner’s long-standing 100 metres world record of 10.49 seconds set in 1998. Thomson-Herah, the 100 metres and 200 metres champion of the Tokyo Olympics, in some people’s books should already be given the title of the fastest woman ever in the 100 metres. Her 10.54 achieved last year with a wind speed of (+0.9 metres per second) is more authentic than Griffith-Joyner’s, they say.

The reason has to do with the wind readings at the US trails back in 1988 when the current world record was set.

The controversial record has remained in the books though a malfunction in the wind gauge came to light later. Griffith Joyner’s world record set during the Quarterfinal 1 of the 1988 US Olympic trials, had a wind speed of zero. However, an IAAF (now World Athletics) study in 1995 found that the wind gauge had malfunctioned. Based on analysis of wind speeds during heats and qualifiers (tailwinds of at least 2.7 m/s and as high as five metres per second were recorded), the study concluded that when Quarterfinal 1 was being held the wind speed was actually +5.0m/s and not zero. The IAAF didn’t strike Griffith Joyner’s time off and till date it remains unbroken.

In a BBC interview from last year after she ran 10.54 seconds, Thompson-Herah said, “A few years ago I was asked whether I could break that record and I said it was not possible,” she said. “But for me to run 10.54 means it is within reach, therefore it means anything is possible.”

If Thompson-Herah breaks what has been considered an ‘evergreen record’ it will go down as one of the greatest feats in sport.

But don’t be surprised if Blake provides the added excitement in the men’s 100 metres.

“You have to believe in yourself,” said Blake. “I’m the second-fastest man in the history of the sport. The naysayers kept me going, whenever they say I won’t make it or I should give up, I use that to fuel me and push through,” Blake was quoted as saying by World Athletics.

Blake was also going through personal trauma because his father had suffered a stroke. He dedicated the win to his father.

“I just came out here to do this for him because I’ve been in disarray all week and just kept strong to win,” the 2011 world champion said.

 

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Hokies advance 12 athletes in 7 events to NCAA Championships – Virginia Tech Athletics

Hokies advance 12 athletes in 7 events to NCAA Championships - Virginia Tech Athletics
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On the final day of the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds, Hokies track & field punched one final ticket to Hayward Field after an incredible four days of competition.
 
Securing her second straight qualification to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Essence Henderson had clinched her spot after two rounds before unleashing a massive throw in the discus on her third attempt. Henderson heaved the implement 58.83m (193′ 0″) in the last throw of the competition to finish as the No. 1 overall qualifier and shatter her own school record. Henderson’s mark ranks as the No. 6 throw in the NCAA this season as she looks to challenge for the title in Oregon.
 
In Tech’s other two events of Saturday, Chase Kappeler and Hailey Huston Myles both capped excellent seasons for the Hokies. Kappeler’s breakout year ended just short of advancing to Eugene in the 3,000m steeplechase, as Kappeler recovered from an early stumble in the race and fought back through the pack at Indiana’s Billy Hayes Track. In the triple jump, Huston Myles delivered a wind-legal personal best as she leaped 12.74m (41′ 9.75″). The graduate transfer closed out her career having left her mark on both the indoor and outdoor triple jump top lists for the Hokies.
 

With the East Prelims now complete, Tech track & field moves its attention to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, set to run June 8-11 at the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. With 12 athletes ready to compete across the Hokies’ nine entries, the national finals look to be a thrill across the board.
 
WOMEN’S ENTRIES
Rachel Baxter (Pole Vault)
Julia Fixsen (Pole Vault)
Essence Henderson (Discus)
Sara Killinen (Hammer)
 
MEN’S ENTRIES
Khalil Bedoui (Hammer)
Chauncey Chambers (Triple Jump)
Ben Fleming (3,000m Steeplechase)
Ben Nibbelink (3,000m Steeplechase)
4x100m Relay (Cole Beck, Kennedy Harrison, Kahleje “KJ” Tillmon, Torrence Walker)
 

Gallery: (5-28-2022) T&F: 2022 NCAA East Preliminary Rounds Day 4

 

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LSU track and field wins six events at SEC championships; Tiger women take third, men seventh

LSU track and field wins six events at SEC championships; Tiger women take third, men seventh

The LSU women’s track and field team came up just a little short in the race for the team title Saturday night at the Southeastern Conference outdoor championships.

But if coach Dennis Shaver could have somehow squeezed just one more race out of sprint sensation Favour Ofili, the Tigers probably would have come away with the biggest trophy from the meet held in Oxford, Mississippi.

Ofili scorched the Ole Miss track in winning the 100 and 200 meters and ran second leg on the Tigers’ winning 4×100-meter relay.

The sophomore’s gallant effort came up just short, however, when Florida came from just off the pace in the final two events to take the women’s title with 107 points.

Arkansas was third with 103 points and LSU was third with 96½, while Kentucky (85) and Texas A&M (84) rounded out the top five.

Arkansas won the men’s title with 121 points and Alabama was second with 116. Tennessee (84), Florida (78) and Georgia (75) completed the top five. LSU finished seventh with 70.

With Ofili scoring 22½ points by herself, LSU held a scant 1½-point lead over Florida with 19 of 21 events in the books.

But the Gators got a second-place finish from Parker Valby in the 5,000 meters and clinched the title with a fifth-place effort from its 4×400 relay team to hold off Arkansas.

Ofili was one of the big stars when she outdueled Kentucky’s Abby Steiner in the two short sprints and teamed with Alia Armstrong, Tionna Beard-Brown and Thelma Davies to win the 4×100 relay over Kentucky.

After running the second leg on the relay that got the baton around in a season’s-best time of 42.59 seconds, while Kentucky ran a 42.63.

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It was the sixth consecutive win for LSU in the event at the SEC meet.

Ofili later came back to win the 100 in 10.93 seconds while running into a slight headwind. That tied her personal record she set in the LSU Invitational on April 30.

It was the 21st title in the event for the LSU women in 41 SEC championship meets. Steiner was second in 11.02 seconds.

Later, Ofili got the best of Steiner once again in the 200. Ofili, the collegiate record holder at 21.96 seconds, won with a 22.04 while Steiner nearly caught Ofili at the finish line in running a 22.07.

Armstrong provided the fourth win of the day for LSU in the 100-meter hurdles when she won with a slightly wind-aided time of 12.46 seconds.

Rival Grace Stark of Florida, who won the NCAA indoor 60-meter hurdles, fell going over the sixth of 10 hurdles, but Armstrong had a clear lead by then and coasted to the victory.

The men’s team had two wins Saturday as Eric Edwards Jr. made it a sweep for the Tigers in the hurdles and Sean Bodie-Dixon took the triple jump crown.

Edwards won the 110 hurdles with a PR of 13.28 seconds and Bodie-Dixon took the triple jump crown with a best of 53 feet, 8¼ inches.

Teammate Apalos Edwards gave LSU a 1-2 finish in the triple jump when he popped a personal-best 53-3½ on his final attempt to better his old PR by nearly 2½ feet.

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Six Events to Watch at SEC Outdoor Championships – Florida Gators

Six Events to Watch at SEC Outdoor Championships - Florida Gators
OXFORD, Miss. – The SEC Outdoor Championships is the premier collegiate conference meet in the nation. Some of the best talent in NCAA has convened on the campus of Ole Miss to contest 21 events on both the men’s and women’s sides to crown the team champion of the SEC.
 
Florida enters the weekend No. 3 in the nation in both the men’s and women’s rankings and figures to be near the top of the leaderboard as the weekend progresses.
 
Here are six events this weekend that are bound to feature big performances from the Gators and have a profound impact on Florida’s team title chances.
 
Women’s Triple Jump | Saturday: 2:30 p.m. CST (Finals Only)

Preview: The women’s triple jump has been dominated by the Gators this year and is one of the program’s staple events. Jasmine Moore and Natricia Hooper went 1-2 at both the SEC Indoor Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships.

During the outdoor season, the pair of teammates has continued to dominate, ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation heading into the weekend.

Moore is the defending SEC Outdoor Champion in the Triple Jump. This event will kickstart a run on points for the Gators on Saturday, a day featuring finals for almost every running event as well.

Florida Athletes (SEC Rankings):

                1. Natricia Hooper: 14.18m/46-6.25

                2. Jasmine Moore: 14.07m/46-2

                7. Alissa Braxton: 13.16m/43-2.25

The Competition: Florida has been a stalwart in this event this season but Texas A&M’s Deborah Acquah and Tennessee’s Charisma Taylor have had strong performances in the past and will bring strong talent to the runway.

The Team Race: Florida will contest 16 of the 21 events at the SEC Outdoor Championships. 12 of those events will have finals on Saturday afternoon, meaning the Gators will be in line for a big run on points when action starts on the May 14th. The Triple Jump will be a catalyst for that with each of Florida’s three athletes projected to score.

This event could go a long way as a momentum booster for the rest of Florida’s day on Saturday and be a big event as Florida goes for the team title.

Men’s 400 Meters | Friday: 7:45 p.m. CT (Prelims); Saturday: 6:15 p.m. CT (Finals)

Preview:  The men’s 400 meters has been among the best events on Florida’s team this season. Behind a trio of All-Americans, the Gators scored 23 points in the event at the SEC Indoor Championships and nine points at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

All four of the athletes that comprised Florida’s collegiate-record breaking 4×400 team are all currently scheduled to run the event.

The 400 meters has been an event the Gators have had great success in over the years. Florida has won the SEC Outdoor Title in the 400 meters eight different times.

After not having a finalist in the event a season ago, the Gators look to bounce back with a bevy of talented quarter-milers set to line up for Friday’s prelims.

Florida Athletes (SEC Rankings):

                1. Champion Allison (45.16)

                1. Ryan Willie (45.16)

                16. Jacob Miley (46.15)

                23. Anthony Brodie (46.52)

                NT. Jacory Patterson (N/A)

The Competition: The SEC has no shortage of talent when it comes to the 400 meters. 10 different athletes have run under 46 seconds this season with Willie and Allison entering the weekend as conference co-leaders (45.16). Texas A&M features a trio of talented runners while Georgia’s Elija Godwin and Kentucky’s Dwight St. Hillaire bring talent and experience.

The finals of this event are bound to be one of the fastest races we see all weekend. It will also be a very competitive final to break into.

The Team Race: Florida scored more points in this event (23) than any other event, men or women, at the SEC Indoor Championships. The finals of this competition will be run right after the 800 meters and 100 meters, providing a big run on points for Florida.

The team race on the men’s side is expected to be congested, meaning Florida will count on big points here to move up the leaderboard.

Women’s Long Jump | Friday: 7:30 p.m. CST (Finals Only)

Preview: Much like the Triple Jump, the Long Jump has been an event of great success for Florida’s women this season. The Gators head into the weekend with three of the top six marks nationally and three of the top four marks in the SEC.

Florida’s All-American duo of Jasmine Moore and Claire Bryant will be joined by All-American Heptathlete Anna Hall, who will contest the Long Jump and 400-meter hurdles this weekend.

The Gators got 16 points in the Long Jump during the SEC Indoor Championships and 12 at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Florida Athletes (SEC Rankings):

                2. Jasmine Moore: 6.82m/22-4.5

                3. Anna Hall: 6.74m/22-1.5

                4. Claire Bryant: 6.73m/22-1

The Competition: The Long Jump tends to be closely contested competition and this weekend should be no different. Texas A&M’s Deborah Acquah continues to lead the conference after a jump of 6.89m/22-7.25 in early April.

Shayla Broughton (Mississippi State), Morgan Smalls (LSU) and Titiana Marsh (Georgia) have all gone over 6.35m this season.

Florida’s trip of Long Jumpers are currently 2-3-4 in the conference heading into the weekend.

The Team Race: The Long Jump will represent Florida’s first big scoring chance on the women’s side this weekend. If the Gators can place all three athletes, Florida will be in a good spot heading into Saturday’s competition.

This event, along with the Triple Jump, will boost Florida’s team title chances this weekend.

Men’s 100 Meters | Friday: 8:35 p.m. CT (Prelims), Saturday: 6:35 p.m. CT (Finals)

Preview: The 100 Meters is always must-watch television in the SEC and this year is no different. Florida will line up six athletes in the prelims against the fastest collegians in the nation. The Gators have won this event nine different times.

During the indoor season, Dedrick Vanover was the co-gold medalist in the 60 meters when he finished in a dead tie for first with Georgia’s Matthew Boling.

Florida put two in the finals of last year’s SEC Outdoor Championships (Vanover and Joseph Fahnbulleh).

Florida Athletes (SEC Rankings):

                5. Dedrick Vanover (10.10)

                11. Joseph Fahnbulleh (10.15)

                14. PJ Austin (10.17)          

                14. Tyler Davis (10.17)

                28. Kemuel Santana (10.48)

                30. Cameron Mahorn (10.50)

The Competition: The field will be stacked in Oxford this weekend. 14 different runners have all-conditions marks under 10.20 this season including four different Gators.

Favour Ashe of Tennessee is the conference leader with a wind-aided mark of 9.79. Matthew Boling of Georgia (9.98), Da’Marcus Fleming of LSU (10.02w) and Lance Lang of Kentucky (10.02w) have all dipped under 10.05 seconds.

This could be anyone’s race. The goal is to get into Saturday night’s final and everything is on the line from there.

The Team Race: Any team will benefit from points scored in this race. Many of Florida’s 100 meters athletes will also be on the 4×100 team earlier in the evening, offering a big chance for the Gators to score points on Saturday night.

Women’s 800 Meters | Thursday: 6:30 p.m. CST (Prelims), Saturday: 6:45 p.m. CST (Final)

Preview: The 800 meters has been among the best event groups for Florida’s women this season. Imogen Barrett has been outstanding throughout the regular season after her third-place finish at the SEC Indoor Championships.

Joining her this weekend are Gabrielle Wilkinson and Ashley Klingenberg in what is expected to be a competitive event for Florida.

Florida Athletes (SEC Rankings):

                3. Imogen Barrett: 2:01.65

                8. Gabrielle Wilkinson: 2:03.93

                49. Ashley Klingenberg: 2:12.76

The Competition: Imogen Barrett and Gabrielle Wilkinson will be among the top candidates to make the finals and score for Florida this weekend. Barrett brings the second-best mark in the conference upon racers entered in the 800 meters.

Wilkinson’s mark is sixth-best among entered competitors.

LSU’s Katy-Ann McDonald (2:00.98) and Michaela Rose (2:02.74) pose strong competition for Florida’s trio of runners. Texas A&M’s Avi’Tal Wilson Perteete and Mississippi State’s Sydney Steely are among the others to break under 2:04 during the regular season.

The top runner in each of the four heats along with the next five best times will meet in the final. All three of Florida’s runners are in separate heats.

The Team Race: The Gators could benefit from big points especially as the team race gets hotly contested down the stretch on Saturday night.

Florida got seven points from the event during the indoor season but with a more wide-open field, could see some more points come its way on Saturday.

Men’s 4×400 Relay | Saturday: 8:40 p.m. CT (Final)

Preview: The 4×400 relay is among the most entertaining events of every postseason meet. This year should be no exception, especially with a team title potentially on the line.

The Gators enter among the favorites, with a full lineup, after breaking the collegiate record in 2:58.53 at the Tom Jones Memorial.

The team of Jacory Patterson, Ryan Willie, Jacob Miley and Champion Allison is the projected team to lineup for Florida but Anthony Brodie and Kemuel Santana will be among the pool of candidates to run as well.

Florida Athletes (SEC Rankings):

                1. Florida: 2:58.53

The Competition: Only 12 of the 13 men’s programs are fielding a relay team with Vanderbilt not having a men’s program and the host Rebels without an entry.

Florida will be in the fast heat alongside Georgia, LSU, Kentucky and Texas A&M. The Gators have the best time on paper with Texas A&M breaking 3:02.00 as well this year.

This will be the final event of the competition. Georgia beat Florida by .02 seconds during the SEC Indoor Championships.

A lot of this will come down to the health and availability of each team’s top runners. Many competitors will have run multiple races by that point.

The meet record set by LSU in 2016 (3:00.48) could be in serious jeopardy if teams line up their best squads on Saturday evening.

The Team Race: The impact of this race will depend on what the standings look like following 20 events. If the leader is ahead by more than 10 points, this race will be for pride.

But if the leader is within striking distance, this race could decide the SEC Outdoor Champion.