By Mitch Phillips
EUGENE, Ore. (Reuters) – The United States’ hopes of a clean sweep in the men’s 100m for the first time since 1991 received a considerable boost on Saturday when all four of their sprinters advanced to the final.
Fred Kerley, Marvin Bracy, Trayvon Bromell and Christian Coleman will toe the line in the final at 7:50 p.m. (0250 GMT).
Carl Lewis led a clean sweep in 1983 and again in 1991 but no nation has managed it since. The United States were allowed to enter four in the event – three qualifiers from their trials plus Coleman as the defending champion.
Bracy, second in the trials, was the fastest of the quartet with 9.93 but that was good enough only for second behind Jamaican threat Oblique Seville, the fastest of the qualifiers with 9.90.
Kerley’s 9.79 seconds on Friday was the fastest ever in a World Championships heat and though he was slower with 10.02 on Saturday he still looked comfortable in edging champion Coleman (10.05), back in championship action after serving a ban for missing three drugs tests.
Bromell, second-fastest this year and desperate to make amends for his Tokyo Olympic disappointment when he failed to make the final, finished one thousandth of a second behind South African Akani Simbine as both men posted 9.97.
Former world champion Yohan Blake failed to progress after posting 10.12 in the opening heat, as did Olympic and world bronze medallist Andre de Grasse.
Italian Olympic champion Lamont Jacobs failed to take his place on the start line due to injury, tweeting: “In order not to compromise the rest of the season by risking a more serious injury, I have to postpone the challenge. I promise, I will do my best to make you dream.”
It was another disappointing crowd with the 12,500 capacity Hayward Field stadium far from full even with the prime Saturday night viewing of the 100m.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, Additional reporting by Gene Cherry; editing by Peter Rutherford)
