Two-Time Olympic Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica Shockingly Eliminated in First Round of Women’s 200 Meters

By LetsRun.com
August 15, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO — The final week of the 2016 Summer Olympics started with a shocker at the Olympic Stadium on Monday morning as two-time Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica saw her hopes of a record third title come crashing to the ground. The 34-year-old finished third in heat 9 in 22.97, but only two women advanced automatically from each heat plus the next six fastest time qualifiers. The final time qualifier was Ecuador’s Angela Tenorio in 22.94, meaning Campbell-Brown missed out by .03.

“I’m not even going to get into what happened because I cannot change it. I’m just going to have to move on,” said Campbell-Brown after the race, adding that she’s been blessed and has learned to deal with things she cannot understand.

Campbell-Brown was hoping to become the first woman to win the same Olympic track & field event three times, but that goal has now fallen by the wayside. Four other women entered the Games hoping to win a third Olympic crown and after Campbell-Brown’s result today, four have failed — Tirunesh Dibaba (bronze in 10,000), Valerie Adams (silver in shot put) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (bronze in 100). That leaves only the Czech Republic’s Barbora Špotáková in the javelin with a chance to make history.

Campbell-Brown, who earned bronze at Worlds last year, entered with the #8 time in the world this year at 22.29 seconds. She will now turn her attention to the 4×100 relay.

POS	BIB	ATHLETE	COUNTRY	MARK		REACTION TIME
1	454	Edidiong Ofonime ODIONG	BRN	22.74 Q	PB	0.156
2	1249	Semoy HACKETT	TTO	22.78 Q		0.162
3	882	Veronica CAMPBELL-BROWN	JAM	22.97		0.170
4	936	Olga SAFRONOVA	KAZ	23.29		0.144
5	879	Ashley KELLY	IVB	23.61		0.191
6	1180	Tameka WILLIAMS	SKN	23.61		0.160
7	1188	Sabina VEIT	SLO	23.75		0.161
8	1239	Kristina PRONZHENKO	TJK	25.53		0.213