Christopher Taylor’s mission accomplished

CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR described his experience in the 200-metre heats at the World Athletics Championships inside the Japan National Stadium as “mind blowing”, after overcoming all but two to progress yesterday.

The challenge brought out a personal best by two-hundredths of a second – a time of 20.26 – which drew praise from fellow qualifiers Noah Lyles (United States) and Andre de Grasse (Canada) in the immediate wake of the fourth of six qualifying races.

Taylor, at the same venue where he made the final of the 2020 Olympic Games, was put in with four runners who had all clocked well under the 20-second barrier for the distance, but ran determinedly to make it through.

He was joined in progressing by fellow Jamaicans Bryan Levell, who blasted off before easing up to stroll through the finish in the still-remarkably quickest time of all the qualifiers – 19.84. Meanwhile, Adrian Kerr was made to work harder, but still made it through in a comfortable third place in a time of 20.13.

Taylor, the 25-year-old former World Youth champion, who finished second in this summer’s National Championships, explained:

“I’m elated because that was the plan – to come out and maybe set a personal best.

“Now I have to go out and try to do the same thing in the semi-finals.

“When I saw the lane draw it was mind-blowing, because I was in there with four guys who have been making all the 200 finals.

“I went in there with the seventh-fastest time and knew that I had to dig deep, which is something that I always do in a big championship.

World champion, American record holder and third-fastest of all time at the distance, Noah Lyles, and 2020 Olympic champion Andre de Grasse both came across to congratulate Taylor immediately after the race.

“They came across and said, ‘Welcome to the 200’, as I was a bit nervous and they saw that, because they could see it in the call room when they said: ‘Just relax and take deep breaths.’

“I will be aiming at another personal best now and we’ll see where that takes me.”

Levell’s astonishingly quick time for a heat came despite easing off and just strolling over the line to win.

“I just wanted to execute a good bend and then I wouldn’t have to do too much in the straight.

“I just relaxed after coming off of the bend, so I was surprised by the time – I thought I’d run around 21.00!”

Kerr ran within four-tenths of a second of his personal best to claim third place and another automatic qualifying spot for the semi-finals.