MANHATTAN, Kan. (Kansas State Athletics) – Rising senior Kyle Gale (men’s 4×400-meter relay) and former Wildcat Kimberly Williamson (women’s high jump) each advanced to the finals of their respective event, as action continued at the Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England.
Gale helped Barbados advance to the finals of the men’s 4×400-meter relay on Friday (August 5) with a time of 3:07.23 to place fourth in Heat 2 of Round 1 and grab the last qualifying spot. The relay team will compete in the finals on Sunday (August 7).
Gale was not able to repeat the feat in the men’s 400 meters, as he finished fifth with a time of 48.78 in the first semifinal on Friday (August 5). He earned a spot in the semifinals with a time of 46.66 to finish in fourth place in Heat 3 of Round 1 on Wednesday (August 3).
Williamson, representing Jamaica, advanced to the finals of the women’s high jump by finishing in a four-way tie for first place with a height of 1.81m/5-11.25 in the qualifying round on Thursday (August 4). She will now be one of 12 jumpers vying for a medal in the finals, which is set for Saturday (August 6).
Williamson, who competed for the Wildcats from 2014-16, recently made it to the finals of the women’s high jump at the World Athletics Championships, finishing 11th with a height of 1.89m/6-2.25.
Another pair of former Wildcats – Ifeanyichukwu Otuonye (Turks and Caicos) and Wurrie Njadoe (The Gambia) – also performed on Thursday (August 4).
Otuonye, who competed from 2012-16 and was a two-time All-American, finished eighth in the men’s long jump with a season-best mark of 7.80m/25-07.25. He qualified for the finals by posting a previous season-best jump of 7.65m/25-01.25 on Tuesday (August 2) in the qualifying round.
Njadoe made it to the semifinals of the women’s 200 meters with a time of 24.12 to finish fourth in Heat 1 of Round 1. Njadoe then wrapped up the competition by finishing seventh in the semifinals on Friday (August 5) with a time of 23.95. Njadoe also competed in the women’s 100 meters at the Games.
Earlier this week, former Wildcat Tejaswin Shankar captured the bronze medal in the men’s high jump at the Commonwealth Games. The two-time NCAA champion, Shankar nabbed his first medal at an international competition with a height of 2.22m/7-3.25 on his first attempt to win India’s first track and field medal at the Commonwealth Games.
The Games are an international multi-sport event which covers 72 nations currently or formerly part of the English Commonwealth and includes Australia, Canada, India and many countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
For more information on the Commonwealth Games can be found here.
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