Rowdy heat one sees Nikki Hiltz lead 1500m semis
The fastest action was in heat one of the women’s 1500m, where mid-race jostling preceded the top five breaking free, led by Nikki Hiltz, who was looking to make a statement with a 4.01.40. Sinclaire Johnson, Heather MacLean, Cory McGee and Elle St. Pierre followed to qualify for the final, too.
A comparatively tame heat two saw Emily Mackay, Elise Cranny, Helen Schlachtenhaufen, Maggi Congdon, Addy Wiley, Dani Jones and Christina Aragon advancing through.
In a heartbreaking moment, Sage Hurta-Klecker missed qualifying, finishing in sixth place, another disappointment after her 800m finals race was disrupted amidst Athing Mu’s fall.
Looking ahead to finals, Hiltz shared the winning formula to win the final, saying it would take, “Speed and strength and belief more than anything.
“No one on that start line is any better than anyone else – we all do the training, we all put in the work and I think you need a little bit of luck, too,” the world indoor silver medallist from earlier this year said.
The women have a day of rest before Sunday’s (30 June) final.
Hobbs Kessler sprints past Brandon Miller to lead men’s 800m semi-final
Hobbs Kessler and Brandon Miller went neck in neck over the finish line in the 800-metre semi-final in heat two.
Kesseler ran Miller down, setting a personal best time of 1:43.71, a jump up from his previous best of 1:45.07. Miller finished with a near photo finish, only .02 seconds behind, earning his personal best time of 1:43.72.
Bryce Hoppel led his heat with a time of 1:44.01. Following round one, Hoppel told a group of reporters that he’s chasing a 1:42 in finals. The field has a rest day before returning on Sunday (30 June) for the final.
Also advancing are Abraham Alvarado, Jonah Koech, Shane Cohen, Tinoda Matsatsa, Joey Hoey, and Clayton Murphy.