Clarke, Horatio, narrowly-miss Commonwealth 200m semi-finals

Guyanese sprinters Jackson Clarke and Shamar Horatio narrowly missed places in the men’s 200 metres semi-finals at the Commonwealth Games after producing second-place finishes in their respective opening-round heats.
Clarke recorded the faster of the two times, clocking 20.80 seconds from lane eight in heat six. However, he fell just one-hundredth of a second short of advancing, with 20.79s being the slowest qualifying time.
Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke won the heat in 20.56s to secure the automatic qualifying position. Jackson Clarke finished comfortably ahead of Togo’s Kossi Medard Nayo, who placed third in 21.00s.
Clarke registered a reaction time of 0.158 seconds, while the race was contested with a legal following wind of 1.0 metres per second.
Horatio crossed the line second in Heat Five in 20.83 seconds but was initially disqualified for a lane infringement. Officials later reinstated the Guyanese athlete’s result, although his time was not fast enough to carry him into the next round.
Nigeria’s Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike won the heat in 20.31s and claimed the automatic semi-final place. Malta’s Graham Pellegrini was third in the 2020s.
Horatio recorded a reaction time of 0.181 seconds in a race aided by a following wind of 2.4 metres per second.
Although neither Guyanese athlete advanced, the pair were separated by only three-hundredths of a second, and both finished second in their heats.