Archibald’s Paris dreams shattered

Guyana’s 100 metres record holder Emanuel Archibald bowed out of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday morning, as a result of an eight-place finish in Heat 6 of the men’s 100m round 1 event.
Archibald, who clocked 10.40s on Saturday morning, would have needed to repeat a National Record performance (10.09s) or come close to punch his ticket to today’s semi-finals. The heat was won by South Africa’s Akani Simbine in 10.03s, while Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake and Rikkoi Brathwaite of British Virgin Islands were the other two automatic qualifiers from the heat, clocking 10.06s and 10.13s for second and third, respectively.

Archibald had, in June of this year, rewritten Guyana’s decades-old men’s 100m National Record, during the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. Archibald clocked his 10.09s record at the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC), West Coast Demerara (WCD) during the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Senior Track and Field Championships. The National Record was previously held by Adam Harris at 10.12s, and was set back in 2014.
As a result of Archibald’s exit, Guyana has one more athlete left to compete at the Paris Olympics in Aaliyah Abrams. Abrams will look to secure a semi-final spot in the women’s 400m event as she lines up for round one on Monday, August 5.