Wimbley Advances at U.S. Olympic Trials
EUGENE, Ore. – Shakima Wimbley advanced in the women’s 400m on the opening day of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Friday.
Running out of Lane 5 in Heat 4, Wimbley was next to one of her track and field heroes during the first round of the women’s 400m in four-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix. The Hurricanes’ standout ran nearly stride for stride with Felix, finishing third in Heat 4 with a time of 52.04 seconds to earn one of the three automatic qualifying spots from her heat. Wimbley is one of five collegiate athletes among the 16 women advancing to Saturday’s semifinals, scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET.
“She did a good job of managing her emotions at her first Olympics Trials,” Miami director of track and field/cross county Amy Deem said. “Tomorrow she needs to run more aggressively in the first 200 meters and good things will happen for her.”
The rising senior entered the U.S. Olympic trials fresh off a third place finish in the 400m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Wimbley was named the 2016 ACC Women’s Track Performer of the Year following a stellar season that included two First Team All-America honors, four ACC gold medals, four First Team All-ACC honors and being selected the Women’s Track MVP at the 2016 ACC Outdoor Championships.
While she will focus on the 400m over the first three days of the U.S. Olympic Trials, Wimbley will also compete in the 200m. A three-time ACC outdoor champion in the 200m, Wimbley will look to continue her success in the first round of the women’s 200m, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on July 8. She has experience competing for the United States, running at the 2015 Pan Am Games and the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships.
Dakota Dailey-Harris was the first Hurricane in action Friday, competing in the qualifying round of the women’s high jump. The senior did not clear the opening bar at 1.74m, failing to record a mark in her final track meet of the 2016 season. Dailey-Harris was a Second Team All-American in the high jump, placing 10th at the NCAA Championships. She also set the outdoor school record in the high jump in 2016, clearing 1.85m. Dailey-Harris was the ACC indoor champion in the high jump and finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the high jump with a school record mark of 1.84m.
Ebony Morrison is the third Hurricane at the U.S. Olympic Trials and she begins her competition in the women’s 100m hurdles at 8:02 p.m. ET on July 7. The senior-to-be was a Second Team All-American in the 100m hurdles and on Miami’s 4x100m relay. A Miami native, Morrison also earned a bronze medal at the ACC Championships in the 100m hurdles and was a member of Miami’s ACC champion and school record setting 4x100m relay. She smashed the school record in the 100m hurdles at the NCAA East Preliminary, running a time of 12.76 seconds.
The 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials are being held at Hayward Field in Eugene from July 1-10. Action will be broadcast live on NBC, NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports app.
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