Henri Delauze Advances to 400m Semifinals

Henri Delauze Advances to 400m Semifinals

Photo credit: Kermit Taylor/Bahamas Athletics

EUGENE, Ore. – Miami track and field signee Henri Delauzeadvanced to the semifinals in the men’s 400m at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships.

The Bahamian placed third in Heat 6 of the 400m preliminaries with a time of 47.07 seconds, earning one of the three automatic qualifying spots in his heat. Delauze, who ran the 11th-fastest time during the opening round, will hit the track again on Wednesday at 9:45 p.m. ET in a 400m semifinal that will feature the 24 qualifiers from Tuesday’s heats.

Delauze is one of four Hurricanes competing at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships.Current Canes Shakima Wimbley and Gian Piero Ragonesi make up half of the Miami contingent in Eugene, Ore., while Delauze and fellow signee Ian Kerr round out the quartet of Hurricanes competing at the World Junior Championships. Additionally, Miami associate head coach Cory Young will be on Team USA’s coaching staff, guiding the women’s throwers.

Wimbley is part of Team USA’s 89-member roster for the 8th IAAF World Junior Championships, earning one of six spots in Team USA’s 4x400m relay pool. Wimbley recently competed at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships, placingthird in the women’s 400m final with a time of 52.55 seconds. The women’s 4x400m relay heats are scheduled for July 26 beginning at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Ragonesi will represent Italy in the throws. As a freshman, qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary where he posted a personal-best mark of 55.47m, which ranks second in school history. An All-ACC selection after finishing third in the shot put at the ACC Indoor Championships, Ragonesi ranks second in school history in the indoor shot put and discus, while claiming the third-best outdoor shot put, hammer throw and weight throw marks in UM history. Ragonesi will compete in the shot put on July 24 at 1:15 p.m. ET and in the men’s discus on July 25.

Kerr, who attended Queens College in Nassau, Bahamas, was the 2014 BAAA National Champion in the 200m and was the runner-up in the 100m. Kerr also represented the Bahamas at the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships. Kerr will represent the Bahamas in the men’s 200m, scheduled for 1:45 p.m. ET on July 24.

The 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships will be streamed live via webcast. It will be the largest IAAF event ever contested on U.S. soil. A total of 177 national federations, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, have expressed their intent to compete at the six-day track and field meet where more than 1,750 athletes under the age of 20 are expected to participate.

The 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships will be held from July 22-27 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The 2014 edition of the IAAF World Junior Championships marks the first time the event has ever been held in the United States.  

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