Ameer Webb fifth in World Championship final, Ioannis Kyriazis advances in javelin

LONDON – Aggie alum Ameer Webb ran 20.26 seconds for fifth place in the final of the 200m during Thursday's action at London Stadium at the 16^th IAAF World Championships.
 
In qualifying action, Texas A&M junior Ioannis Kyriazis advanced to the finals of the javelin while alum Simone Facey competed in the semifinal of the women's 200m.
 
An attempt to complete a 200m and 400m double at the World Championships by South Africa's Wayde Van Niekerk was thwarted by Rami Guliyev of Turkey, who shocked the field with a 20.09 victory. After claiming his second world title at 400m two days earlier, Van Niekerk finished second in the 200m at 20.11. Jareem Richards of Trinidad & Tobago also ran 20.11 for bronze, just 0.001 from silver status.
 
Webb, running in lane 9, was edged out of fourth place by Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Great Britain, who clocked 20.24 from lane 2. Finishing behind Webb were Isaac Makwala of Botswana (20.44), Abdul Sani Brown of Japan (20.63) and American Isiah Young (20.64).

"I had a good time, and I definitely enjoyed myself," said Webb. "I wish I could have seen where I was actually in the race. I could've done a better job. I couldn't see. It was a little bit hard to see where I wanted to distribute my energy. I learned that you better win your heat or you'll get a lane like 9."
 
Ioannis Kyriazis advanced to the javelin final with one throw of 277 feet, 6 inches (84.60) in the qualifying round. That mark is his fifth best performance on the Aggie all-time list. Kyriazis will compete in the final on Saturday at 8.15 p.m. (2:15 p.m.).
 
With an automatic qualifying standard of 272-3 (83.00) to reach the final, five surpassed that mark in group A while eight more exceeded that distance in group B. Seeking a final of 12 throwers, instead there will be 13.
 
"It was a good throw," noted Kryiazis of his lone effort in the qualifying round. "This year has been really amazing for me, so I'm glad I made the final on my first throw. I was ready for the meet. The stadium is amazing and the crowd is amazing.
 
"The javelin level is going higher and higher this season, so it was kind of expected to see that many throwers get past the qualifying standard for the final."
 
Simone Facey finished fourth in her semifinal heat of the 200m, running a time of 23.01 (-0.2 wind), which placed her 11^th overall among the 24 sprinters in the three-section semifinal.
 
Facey, who placed sixth in the 2009 World Championship final, had the top time among the Jamaican trio in the semifinal round, but none reached the final. It marks the first time in the history of the World Championships, dating back to 1983, in which Jamaica doesn't have at least one entrant in the women's 200m final.
 
On Friday the decathlon begins for Aggie senior Lindon Victor, the two-time NCAA champion who bettered the collegiate record twice this year. Victor gets started at 10 a.m. (4 a.m. CT).
 
2017 IAAF World Championships – Schedule for Texas A&M Athletes
(London time listed first, followed by Central time)
 
Friday, August 11
    10:00 a.m.      4:00 a.m.           M Dec  100m           Lindon Victor
    11:05 a.m.      5:05 a.m.           M Dec  Long Jump  Lindon Victor
    12:55 p.m.      6:55 a.m.           M Dec  Shot Put      Lindon Victor
 
      5:00 p.m.    11:00 a.m.           M Dec  High Jump  Lindon Victor
      8:45 p.m.      2:45 p.m.           M Dec  400m           Lindon Victor
 
Saturday, August 12
    10:00 a.m.      4:00 a.m.           M Dec  110H           Lindon Victor
    10:35 a.m.      4:35 a.m.       W 4x100  Heats          (Aaliyah Brown, Simone Facey, Jennifer Madu – relay pool)
    10:55 a.m.      4:55 a.m.       M 4x100  Heats          (Michael Bryan, Shavez Hart – relay pool)
    11:00 a.m.      5:00 a.m.           M Dec  Discus A      Lindon Victor
    11:50 a.m.      5:50 a.m.       M 4x400  Heats          (Fred Kerley – relay pool)
    12:20 p.m.      6:20 a.m.           M Dec  Discus B      Lindon Victor
      2:15 p.m.      8:15 a.m.           M Dec  Pole Vault   Lindon Victor
 
      5:30 p.m.    11:30 a.m.           M Dec  Javelin A     Lindon Victor
      6:55 p.m.    12:55 p.m.           M Dec  Javelin B     Lindon Victor
      8:15 p.m.      2:15 p.m.      M Javelin  FINAL          Ioannis Kyriazis
      9:30 p.m.      3:30 p.m.       W 4x100  FINAL          (Aaliyah Brown, Simone Facey, Jennifer Madu – relay pool)
      9:50 p.m.      3:50 p.m.       M 4x100 FINAL          (Michael Bryan, Shavez Hart – relay pool)