LONDON - Former Manhattan College track & field star Aliann Pompey qualified for the semifinals of the women's 400 meters at the 2012 London Olympics on Friday. Representing her native Guyana, Pompey posted a time of 52.10 seconds in her opening round heat at London's Olympic Stadium.
Running in a very tough heat that also included Amantle Montsho of Botswana, the 2011 World Champion, as well as Jamaica's Christine Day and hometown favorite Shana Cox of Great Britain. Montsho posted the top time of the day (50.40 seconds) to win the heat, followed by Day (51.05 seconds). Manning (52.01 seconds) just edged Pompey for the third automatic qualifying position. However, Pompey's time was good enough for her to earn one of three time qualifiers. Overall, she ranked 19th among all competitors.
This marks the third straight OIympics in which Pompey has advanced to the semifinal round. Montsho, Day, Cox and Pompey will all be in the same heat again in the semifinals, which are scheduled for 8:13 p.m. (3:13 p.m. EDT) on Saturday. Only the top two finishers in each of the three heats, plus the next two fastest overall, will move on to the final on Sunday.
