Costa Rican athlete Gerald Drummond competed in the 400m hurdles qualifying rounds at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. With a time of 48.80 seconds, he secured a place in the repechage. Drummond will fight for a spot in the subsequent round on Tuesday, August 6, starting at 4 a.m. Costa Rican time. In total, there will be three playoff heats, and Gerald will compete in the second heat, lane four.
He will face Kaito Tsutsue of Japan, Victor Ntweng of Botswana, Constantin Preis of Germany, and Matic Ian Gucek of Slovenia. The top two from each heat will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday, August 7, at 11:35 a.m. Costa Rican time.
This is part of a new system introduced at the Paris Games by World Athletics. Athletes who do not qualify directly for the semifinals have an additional chance to advance through the repechage system, which allows them to compete for a spot in the next round the following day.
“It’s not the result I was hoping for. I wanted to qualify straight to the semifinals, but it didn’t happen. I need to recover, eat well, and rest for tomorrow,” Drummond said to the National Olympic Committee. Reflecting on his performance, Drummond felt positive overall, but believes he can still do better.
“I tried to perform as best as I could. I wasn’t doing badly in the first part of the race, but I was a bit off in the second part. Even so, running under 49 seconds again is a significant achievement for me. I’ve done it multiple times this season, which is something I’ve never done before. I still feel strong, but I believe I could have done even better,” he explained.
Drummond expressed frustration about not advancing directly to the next round. “I’m a bit upset about the repechage. I had a better time than some who qualified directly for the semifinals, which seems unfair. However, it’s a new rule this year, and we have to adapt. All that’s left is to tackle the playoff as best as possible,” he added.
The winner of Gerald’s heat was Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke, who clocked in at 48.17 seconds. He was followed by Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel with 48.38 seconds and France’s Wilfried Happio with 48.42 seconds.
