To their own beat and version of a self-composed musical score “Hot Girls Summer Coming,” a beaming Trinidad and Tobago 4x100 metres female quartet sang their way into the hearts of many in the mixed zone media area at the 2019 Doha World Championships on Friday.
T&T’s women’s placed an impressive second to the United States in a season-best time of 42.75 to qualify for Saturday’s final from 3.05 pm (TT time.)
Semoy Hackett ran the first leg and afterwards told Guardian Media Sports, “Today everything felt good and we got the baton around and we are in the finals. Time for a medal now, we just have to come out and continue to improve.”
Kelly-Ann Baptiste ran the second leg and was composed.
“We made it through and everyone got the baton around and that was the aim. We are very focused, as you see there is a great mood in the team and we are now looking forward to tomorrow.”
Baptiste added, “It is just really nice to feel that what we plan for semifinals came through, now we just have to get the baton around, it is not only about time.”
Reyare Thomas ran the third leg and said afterwards they will work on the chinks in time for the final.
“We now have to stay on course, we will continue to work on little areas that we have to improve on but we are thinking positively for tomorrow,” Thomas said.
The anchor leg was run by the youngest of the quartet, Kamaria Durant, who added: “I am just happy, I enjoyed that run, I was feeling good coming up the straight and onwards now to Saturday.”
Hackett believes the lane assignment will be critical.
“Yes that will be important and we should get a good one, this team is in good spirits.”
As to a message to Trinidad and Tobago, the girls said in unison, “We are coming, we are coming hot girls summer are coming.”
They all left smiling and hugging each other but with a clear determination that the main work is still to be completed Saturday with a place on the medal rostrum.
Machel Cedenio meanwhile finished seventh in the men’s 400 metres final after starting well but fading in the last 100 metres. The race was won comfortably by Steven Gardener of the Bahamas in a national record time of 43.48, ahead of Colombia’s Anthony Zambrano, who ran 44.15 and the USA’s Fred Kerly, who clocked 44.17. Cedenio, though, was conscious and visibly concerned at what went wrong.
“I got a good start and perhaps I ran too hard in the beginning because I was not able to get anything going in the last part of the race,” Cedenio told Guardian Media Sports afterwards.
“I am disappointed, as I came here with a plan to get a medal and then this happens, … I have to learn from it and put it behind me because there is the relays next and this was my second major individual but I will be back.
“It was tough today but tomorrow is another day and this is about recovery now and ensuring that what has happened here, I have learned from, but I am okay otherwise.”
On Saturday, two-time Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott will attempt to add a World Championships medal to his cupboard when he competes in Pool B of the javelin event at 11 am (TT time) in position 16. The top 12 overall throwers qualify for Saunday’s final.
The defending champions in the 4x400 metres from London 2017, Trinidad and Tobago, will also be in semifinal 2 at 1.37 pm (TT time), running out of lane 8, with Jamaica, Belgium, South Africa and France also in the group, where the top three from each of the two groups and two fastest losers move on to Sunday’s final.
As for the women’s 4x100 relay team, they have been drawn in lane 5, with Jamaica in lane 4, Great Britain in lane 6 and the USA in lane 7.