Allyson Felix into Olympic Trials 200m final behind world’s fastest in 2021

By OlympicTalkJun 25, 2021, 7:55 PM EDT

Allyson Felix wanted to run the 200m and the 400m at the 2016 Olympics, but missed out by .01 after a pre-Olympic Trials injury.

Now, after childbirth and at age 35, she could make the U.S. team in both events for her last Olympics, granted she may drop one of them.

Felix qualified third fastest into Saturday’s 200m final at Trials in Eugene, Oregon, five days after making the team in the 400m. The top three make the team in the 200m.

Felix ran 22.20 seconds out of lane nine, her fastest 200m since 2016. Gabby Thomas and Jenna Prandini (who edged Felix by .01 in the 2016 Olympic Trials for the last 200m spot) won the semifinal heats in 21.94 and 21.99 seconds, respectively. They are the fastest women in the world this year.

Felix was followed by Anavia Battle (22.32), Tamara Clark (22.35) and Dezerea Bryant (22.37).

In finals Friday, Hillary Bor, Benard Keter and Mason Ferlic made the team in the 3000m steeplechase. Olympic silver medalist Evan Jager withdrew before Trials after leg muscle tears. In the discus, Mason Finley, Reggie Jagers and Sam Mattis, the top three U.S. men in this Olympic cycle, made the team.

TRACK AND FIELD TRIALS: Results | TV Schedule

The 200m and 400m overlap in Tokyo. Felix has not said what her plan is if she makes the team in the 200m to go with the 400m, but it’s expected that she would choose one or the other. Felix did not speak with media, outside of short TV interviews, after her 200m first round on Thursday or her semifinal on Friday.

Felix is also set to race the 4x400m relay in Tokyo, plus possibly the mixed-gender 4x400m, no matter if she chooses the 200m or the 400m.

Felix has called the 200m “her baby.” In 2004, she made her first Olympic team at age 18 strictly in the 200m. In 2012, she won her lone individual Olympic title in the 200m.

She has been primarily a 400m runner since tearing her right hamstring in the 2013 World Championships 200m final.

She attempted to make the 2016 Olympic team in both the 200m and the 400m, but missed the 200m team by .01, three months after tearing right ankle ligaments. She took 400m silver in Rio.

Earlier, 17-year-old Erriyon Knighton lowered his U18 record in the 200m by posting the fastest first-round time of 20.04 seconds, beating world champion Noah Lyles in his heat. Lyles and the rest of the contenders advanced to Saturday’s semifinals.

Knighton turned 17 in January, just after he turned pro while a junior at Tampa Hillsborough High School. He can become the second-youngest American man to compete in track and field at the Olympics in 120 years after miler Jim Ryun in 1964, according to Olympedia.org.

On May 31, he broke Usain Bolt‘s U18 200m record of 20.13 by clocking 20.11. Bolt still owns the fastest 200m for a 17-year-old, 19.93 in April 2004, four months before he turned 18. Athletes can register U18 records through the calendar year that they turn 17.

Raevyn Rogers and Ajee’ Wilson, the world silver and bronze medalists, and 19-year-old phenom Athing Mu were among the qualifiers into Sunday’s women’s 800m final.

Rio gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz won his 1500m semifinal heat in a finishing duel with fellow Oregon Duck Cole Hocker. The rest of the favorites also made Sunday’s final, but not 18-year-old Hobbs Kessler.

Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin, the two fastest women in history in the 400m hurdles, won their first-round heats.

World champion Grant Holloway led the qualifiers into Saturday’s 110m hurdles semifinals.

World silver medalist Rai Benjamin won his 400m hurdles semifinal heat ahead of Saturday’s final.

In long jump qualifying, 2012 Olympian and NFL wide receiver Marquise Goodwin finished 19th, failing to make Sunday’s 12-man final. Olympic gold medalist Jeff Henderson and the rest of the favorites advanced.

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2023 French Open men’s singles draw, scores

By OlympicTalkMay 31, 2023, 6:46 PM EDT

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The French Open men’s singles draw is missing injured 14-time champion Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, leaving the Coupe des Mousquetaires ripe for the taking.

The tournament airs live on NBC Sports, Peacock and Tennis Channel through championship points in Paris.

Novak Djokovic is not only bidding for a third crown at Roland Garros, but also to lift a 23rd Grand Slam singles trophy to break his tie with Nadal for the most in men’s history.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Women’s Draw

But the No. 1 seed is Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s U.S. Open to become, at 19, the youngest man to win a major since Nadal’s first French Open title in 2005.

Now Alcaraz looks to become the second-youngest man to win at Roland Garros since 1989, after Nadal of course.

Alcaraz missed the Australian Open in January due to a right leg injury, but since went 30-3 with four titles. Notably, he has not faced Djokovic this year. They could meet in the semifinals.

Russian Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 seed, was upset in the first round by 172nd-ranked Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild. It marked the first time a men’s top-two seed lost in the first round of any major since 2003 Wimbledon (Ivo Karlovic d. Lleyton Hewitt).

No. 9 Taylor Fritz, No. 12 Frances Tiafoe and No. 16 Tommy Paul are the highest-seeded Americans, all looking to become the first U.S. man to make the French Open quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003. Since then, five different American men combined to make the fourth round on eight occasions.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

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2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

At the French Open, a Ukrainian mom makes her comeback

By OlympicTalkMay 31, 2023, 5:15 PM EDT

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, once the world’s third-ranked tennis player, is into the French Open third round in her first major tournament since childbirth.

Svitolina, 28, swept 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan of Italy, then beat Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last 32 at Roland Garros. She next plays 56th-ranked Russian Anna Blinkova, who took out the top French player, fifth seed Caroline Garcia, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on her ninth match point.

Svitolina’s husband, French player Gael Monfils, finished his first-round five-set win after midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. She watched that match on a computer before going to sleep ahead of her 11 a.m. start Wednesday.

“This morning, he told me, ‘I’m coming to your match, so make it worth it,'” she joked on Tennis Channel. “I was like, OK, no pressure.

“I don’t know what he’s doing here now. He should be resting.”

Also Wednesday, 108th-ranked Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis ousted three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in four and a half hours. Wawrinka’s exit leaves Novak Djokovic as the lone man in the draw who has won the French Open and Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as the lone men left who have won any major.

The top seed Alcaraz beat 112th-ranked Taro Daniel of Japan 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Spaniard gets 26th seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the third round. Djokovic, the No. 3 seed, swept 83rd-ranked Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (2), 6-0, 6-3 to reach a third-round date with 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Svitolina made at least one major quarterfinal every year from 2017 through 2021, including the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2019. She married Monfils one week before the Tokyo Olympics, then won a singles bronze medal.

Svitolina played her last match before maternity leave on March 24, 2022, one month after Russia invaded her country. She gave birth to daughter Skai on Oct. 15.

Svitolina returned to competition in April. Last week, she won the tournament preceding the French Open, sweeping Blinkova to improve to 17-3 in her career in finals. She’s playing on a protected ranking of 27th after her year absence and, now, on a seven-match win streak.

“It was always in my head the plan to come back, but I didn’t put any pressure on myself, because obviously with the war going on, with the pregnancy, you never know how complicated it will go,” she said. “I’m as strong as I was before, maybe even stronger, because I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court, and match by match I’m getting better. Also mentally, because mental can influence your physicality, as well.”

Svitolina said she’s motivated by goals to attain before she retires from the sport and to help Ukraine, such as donating her prize money from last week’s title in Strasbourg.

“These moments bring joy to people of Ukraine, to the kids as well, the kids who loved to play tennis before the war, and now maybe they don’t have the opportunity,” she said. “But these moments that can motivate them to look on the bright side and see these good moments and enjoy themselves as much as they can in this horrible situation.”

Svitolina was born in Odesa and has lived in Kharkiv, two cities that have been attacked by Russia.

“I talk a lot with my friends, with my family back in Ukraine, and it’s a horrible thing, but they are used to it now,” she said. “They are used to the alarms that are on. As soon as they hear something, they go to the bomb shelters. Sleepless nights. You know, it’s a terrible thing, but they tell me that now it’s a part of their life, which is very, very sad.”

Svitolina noted that she plays with a flag next to her name — unlike the Russians and Belarusians, who are allowed to play as neutral athletes.

“When I step on the court, I just try to think about the fighting spirit that all of us Ukrainians have and how Ukrainians are fighting for their values, for their freedom in Ukraine,” she said, “and me, I’m fighting here on my own front line.”

Svitolina said that she’s noticed “a lot of rubbish” concerning how tennis is reacting to the war.

“We have to focus on what the main point of what is going on,” she said. “Ukrainian people need help and need support. We are focusing on so many things like empty words, empty things that are not helping the situation, not helping anything.

“I want to invite everyone to focus on helping Ukrainians. That’s the main point of this, to help kids, to help women who lost their husbands because they are at the war, and they are fighting for Ukraine.

“You can donate. Couple of dollars might help and save lives. Or donate your time to something to help people.”

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2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

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