Here's our in progress recap of the women's 100 semis:
After a steady downpour cause a 25 minute delay, the rain finally relented. With the athletes in heat one waiting in the blocks, a grounds crew with mechanical blowers began attempting to get the track clean. They only partially completed their task as the athletes in heat one were ready to go and officials waved to get the grounds crew off the track.
After heat one finished, the grounds crew came out and did a SIGNIFICANTLY better job drying and cleaning the track before heat two.
What’s the big deal? BIG ADVANTAGE to heat two and three. Advancement to the finals is top two placers and two on time. Heat two and three had a much drier track and had a much “cleaner” run to garner those two final slots. One of the victims may have been world world #4 Kristi Castin, who was fourth in heat 1, and missed the final by .09 on time. Couldn’t one argue easily that a drier track might make .09 of a difference?
Whoever decided to dry the track between heat 1 and heat 2 should be reprimanded.