Sisters DeBues-Stafford & Stafford advance into 1500m semifinals

After Day 3 concluded with Canada’s first medal in athletics, it was time for the Canadian distance crew to take the spotlight.

Leading Canada onto the track was Gabriela DeBues-Stafford in round one of the women’s 1500m. The Canadian record holder in the event (3:56.12) showed off her strength in the distance, cruising over the finish to win her heat with a time of 4:03.70. With her first Tokyo 2020 race completed, DeBues-Stafford’s focus is onto the next round.

“I have my eyes set on something big in the finals, so I’m happy that I got the first round done and I felt really good doing it,” said DeBues-Stafford.

“I didn’t know what the time was and I thought, ‘oh, this is feeling like a little bit of effort.’ I wasn’t expecting it to be that fast. I felt like 4:03 and I felt really good, and to do it from the front and to control it the way I did. I’m very pleased with that.”

Lucia Stafford one upped her sister in her first Olympic race, stopping the clock at 4:03.52 in the third heat for a new personal best. The duo will enter the semifinal round with the seventh and eighth fastest times among qualifiers.

In the sprints, Crystal Emmanuel kept the momentum going in the qualifying round of the women’s 200m. Winning her heat with a season’s best time of 22.74, the Canadian record holder (22.50) advances into the semifinals, taking place later tonight.

Sage Watson (400m hurdles semifinals), Matt Hughes (3000m steeplechase final), John Gay (3000m steeplechase final) and Andrea Seccafien (5000m final) will step onto the track during the evening session.  Alysha Newman and Anicka Newell get their Olympic Games underway in the qualification round of women’s pole vault.