Mo-Ajok misses final 200 meters: ‘It was dredger’
Sprinter Xavi Mo-Ajok did not succeed in reaching the final at his World Cup debut in the 200 meters. The 23-year-old athlete from Rotterdam ran in Tokyo to sixth place in his series of the semi-finals in a time of 20.55. That classification meant elimination.
The Jamaican Bryan Levell won the Mo-Ajok series in 19.78. Noah Lyles lashed out in the third of three heats with a time of 19.51. The defending champion noted the best time of this year in the 200 meters. The American goes in the final on Friday for his fourth world title in a row.
Mo-Ajok walked harder in the series on Wednesday. Then he clocked 20.35. “It was dredger,” was his short analysis afterwards. “My start was not good and then I didn’t get into it anymore. It was not that I felt it, but perhaps I was too tense. It is intended that I start hard and run through hard and run through. But sometimes the body does not work and you start thinking.”
Mo-Ajok is one of the batch of new sprinters that have to ensure success now that Churandy Martina has stopped. The Rotterdammer with Cape Verde Blood came close to records of the popular Martina this summer, which was active at five Olympic Games. With 9.91 he even equaled the Dutch record in the 100 meters, but ran that time with too much racing wind.
“Just recover and then on to the Relay 4×100 meters. We want to reach the final and end up as high as possible,” said Mo-Ajok, who, together with Nsikak Ekpo, Taymir Burnet and Elvis Afifa, brought the Dutch record to 37.87 seconds this summer. With that time, the Dutch men are shared fifth on the ranking for the World Cup.