Six University of Kentucky Track and Field (UKTF) athletes made significant strides on Wednesday at the Olympic Games, with three Wildcats securing their spots in their first career Olympic finals. Alumni Daniel Roberts and Alexis Holmes advanced to the finals in the 110m hurdles and 400m, respectively, while incoming Wildcat Tapiwanashe Makarawu qualified for the final of the 200m. Additionally, Kentucky’s trio of short hurdlers—Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Masai Russell, and Devynne Charlton (Volunteer Assistant Coach/Purdue Alum)—moved into the semifinals of the 100m hurdles.
In classic Hurdle U fashion, three Wildcats kicked off the day by advancing to the semifinals of the 100m hurdles. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, emerged as the top qualifier from the event’s first round, winning her heat with a time of 12.42 seconds. The Olympic record holder, representing Puerto Rico, led her section from start to finish, cruising to an automatic qualification spot.
Masai Russell, who clocked a time of 12.53 seconds, finished third overall in the preliminaries. She claimed victory in her heat in a photo finish, leaning at the line to secure an automatic qualification to Friday’s semifinal. Russell currently holds the fastest time in the world this season in the 100m hurdles.
Devynne Charlton, the Bahamian world record holder in the 60m hurdles, was the third Wildcat to advance, posting the ninth fastest time of the morning at 12.71 seconds. Charlton finished second in her heat, earning an automatic advancement to the semifinals. The 100m hurdles semifinals will take place on Friday, August 9, at 6:05 a.m. ET.
In the evening session, Daniel Roberts continued Kentucky’s success by advancing to his first career Olympic final in the 110m hurdles. His time of 13.10 seconds was the third fastest among all semifinalists, securing his spot in Thursday’s final. The 2019 Kentucky graduate finished second in his heat, earning an automatic qualification for the medal race. Roberts will compete for his first piece of Olympic hardware on Thursday, August 8, at 3:45 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Joining Roberts in the finals is Tapiwanashe Makarawu, an incoming transfer from New Mexico Junior College. Makarawu qualified for Thursday’s 200m final on time, placing seventh overall with a time of 20.16 seconds. The Zimbabwean national record holder advanced as the first of two non-automatic qualifiers after finishing third in his semifinal heat. Makarawu, who is the 2024 African Championships silver medalist, will race for Olympic gold on Thursday, August 8, at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Alexis Holmes capped off the night as the third Wildcat to earn a spot in her first career Olympic final. Holmes secured a “big Q” from her 400m semifinal heat, finishing seventh overall across the three heats. She moved from fifth to second in her section during the final 100 meters, using an impressive kick to automatically advance. Holmes will compete for an Olympic medal on Friday, August 9, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
In addition to Roberts and Makarawu, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will return to the track on Thursday, contesting the final of the 400m hurdles at 3:25 p.m. ET. The defending gold medalist will aim to repeat her winning performance from Tokyo. All three races can be watched on NBC and Peacock.