Olympics / Team USA Hastings, Francis, Among Locals in Track & Field by Daniel Popoloski August 15, 2016 Following the performances earlier by several other local athletes, Phyllis Francis, Natasha Hastings, Sydney McLaughlin and many others performed admirably in their individual events on the track. McLaughlin led off, the 17-year old high school senior from Dunellen, NJ, but struggled in her race. She started off very strong in the second lane, but faded out down the stretch, finishing fifth in her heat, with a time of 56.32. However, she was still able to make the semifinals as a lucky loser, as one of the final qualifiers. Despite her age, her Olympic appearance isn’t a fluke, as she had posted the seventh best time this year in the event. She did say she was struggling with a cold, but she will need to shake it off and improve greatly if she hopes to make the event finals. Dalilah Muhammed of Jamaica, NY also made the semis with a no-doubter win in her heat. She posted the fourth best time overall, and she is a strong medal favorite, as she is the best in the event so far this year. The semis are scheduled for Tuesday, with the finals set to start on Thursday. In the other hurdle event of the night, the men’s 110m, Jeff Porter of Somerset, NJ and Ronnie Ash of Passaic, NJ, each qualified for the semifinal with strong runs in their individual heats. Ash finished with the second fastest overall time on a slick, rain-soaked track, with a time of 13.31 seconds despite hitting some hurdles on the way down. Porter finished eighth overall, easily qualifying for the semis with a time of 13.5 seconds. And in the final track event of the night, Natasha Hastings and Phyllis Francis of New York both finished just slightly off of the podium, behind teammate and silver medalist Alyson Felix, and gold medalist Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas. Hastings bolted out to an early lead, setting the pace for the field, but she faded heavily down the stretch, ceding to the surging Miller and Felix. She eventually finished fourth, with nothing left in the tank, behind Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson by .49 seconds. Francis was right behind Hastings, only .07 seconds behind her. Both had outside chances at a medal, so the finish was a big disappointment. With the medal, Felix became the most decorated U.S. woman in Olympic Track & Field history. All three of them will compete in the 4X400m relay race later on in the games, an event in which Hastings won gold in 2008. Post Views: 1,293 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Daniel Popoloski Dan is a Staff Writer here at DoubleGSports.com with a focus on Team USA and the Rio Olympics Latest posts by Daniel Popoloski (see all) Team USA Proves it Can Win without Phelps, Lochte - July 30, 2017 Sydney McLaughlin becomes first Repeat Gatorade Athlete of Year - July 18, 2017 Local Swimmers Looking to Thrive at World Championships - July 18, 2017 Sydney McLaughlin Dominates New Jersey Meet of Champions - June 14, 2017 Related TopicsAlyson FelixDalilah MuhammedJeff PorterNatasha HastingsPhyllis FrancisRio OlympicsRonnie AshSydney McLaughlinTeam USATrack & Field Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Michael Jordan Could Change the Future of Nascar for the Better by Inesh Chari | posted on March 30, 2021 WNBA Rolling Out Red Carpet For Upcoming 25th Anniversary Season by Jason Cordner | posted on March 16, 2021 More in Olympics / Team USA Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics The 2021 Summer Olympic games are scheduled to take place from July 23 –... You Know I’m Right, Episode 94: Olympic Gold Medalist Lilly King (Audio/Video) On the 94th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst was joined by olympic... The Tokyo 2021 Olympics Will Feature New Amazing Sports Surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing, karate, baseball and softball will compete at the Summer Olympics. You Know I’m Right, Episode 82: NBC’s Mary Carillo (Audio/Video) On the 82nd episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Women’s Field Hockey’s Medal Dreams End in Quarterfinals Murray, Puig Win Tennis Gold in Rio