Nadine Visser to the semi-finals 100 hurdles at the World Athletics Championships, the curtain falls for Zoë Sedney | World Athletics Championships

Athlete Nadine Visser has advanced to the semi-finals of the 100-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, America. The 27-year-old athlete finished second in her series in a time of 12.76. That classification meant immediate qualification for the next round. The semi-finals and the final are on Sunday.

Zoë Sedney was eliminated from the series. The 20-year-old athlete from Zoetermeer crossed the finish line sixth in her series in a disappointing time of 13.38. That ranking was not good enough, but even with her time she could not force a passage to the semi-finals.

Nigerian Tobi Amusan qualified fastest for the semifinals with a time of 12.40. Visser recorded the tenth time of all participants. Reigning world champion Nia Ali will not be in the semi-finals. The American tripped over a hurdle and fell.

Visser tore her hamstring at the Dutch National Championships in February and therefore missed the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade. It was the same injury she sustained a year earlier that disrupted her preparation for the Olympics. She was not yet in top form in Tokyo, but still finished fifth in the final.

Nadine Visser. © ANP

The Noord-Hollandse was given more time to recover this time. In the run-up to the title fight, she ran 12.72 as the best time. Her Dutch record stands at 12.51. ,,It was still a bit cautious, but I’m fit and sharp. I will have to go harder in the semi-finals on Sunday”, Visser said after her race. ,,The goal is to reach the final and to do it better than ever, both in place and time. I think it’s possible, my acceleration after the start can be better and I can also be a bit more aggressive between the hurdles.”

Visser has been the leading Dutch athlete in the hurdle sprint for several years now. She is a two-time European 60m hurdles champion and in 2018 she won bronze at the World Indoor Championships. At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, she finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles final.

Sedney had an explanation for her mediocre race. ,,I became ill during the training internship here in America, I noticed that the energy was not there. I thought it would be okay, because yesterday in the 4×100 relay I felt fine. But a race with ten hurdles in the track is much more choppy. It is really a disappointment,” said the athlete, who finished sixth in the final of the 60 meter hurdles at the World Indoor Championships last spring.

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