Jenn Suhr, Local Athletes Represent Well in Day 11

Defending women’s pole vault Olympic champion Jenn Suhr qualified for the Olympic final in Rio, one of the many great performances by local athletes in Day 11 of the 2016 Olympics.

Jenn Suhr of Fredonia, NY, impressed again in the pole vault, posting best height in qualifying height of the day, easily earning her trip to finals. Suhr has been battling an illness since arriving to Rio, but it didn’t seem to shake her performances, as she tied with seven other vaulters to hit 4.6m. After the Russian team was banned from the meet, Suhr’s greatest competition for the gold was also eliminated, making her the bona fide favorite in the final on Friday night.

Robby Andrews of Manalapan, NJ, waited for the last 200m of the men’s 1500m race to make his push, where he was then able to finish third, qualifying him for the semifinal. His time of 3:46.97 was one of the slower overall times, but it was just enough to make it into the next round in his heat, the slowest of the three. If he can hang with the top pack and make a late strong move like he did, he may be able to make the final after the semis on Thursday.

In the women’s 100m hurdle race, Nia Ali of Philadelphia qualified for tomorrow’s semifinal, posting the sixth fastest overall time, with 12.76 seconds, winning her heat handedly. She will be joined by American teammates Brianna Rollins and Kristi Castlin.

In equestrian, Beezie Madden of Cazenovia, NY finished 46^th in individual qualifying in the individual jumping event, while teammate McLain Ward of Brewster, NY placed 15^th. However, the combined effort of them along with fellow Americans Kent Farrington and Lucy Davis qualified in the United States first overall, going into the final stage on Wednesday.

In women’s volleyball, Christa Dietzen of the indoor team helped team USA win in straight sets over Japan, reaching the semifinal, and the medals round. Matthew Baranoski in track cycling of Perkasie, PA finished third in his repechage heat in men’s keirin, eliminating him from either of the two finals, way outside of the medal conversation.

Finally, the last local competing in the pool, Anita Alvarez of Kenmore, NY and her partner Mariya Koroleva finished in ninth place in the synchronized swimming duet. The finish wasn’t surprising after the pair finished in ninth place in the qualifying round just yesterday. Alvarez finished over 11 points behind gold medalists in Russia, posting an 87.533 and more than seven points altogether off of the podium, as China took home silver, and Japan the bronze. After being a relative surprise in the final, and at the Olympic Games altogether, Alvarez and Koroleva should be thrilled with a top-10 performance, showing that they belonged on the international stage. At age 19, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Alvarez improve even more moving forward.