Sports
Portuguese athlete Fatoumata Diallo secured direct qualification for the semi-finals of the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympic Games by finishing second in her heat during the first round.
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/ Getty
The Portuguese athlete, national record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, gave an excellent performance that earned her direct qualification for the semi-finals. In the first heat, Fatoumata Diallo finished 2nd, with a time of 54.75 seconds, close to her national record (54.65).
Diallo made her Olympic debut in the first heat of the 400-meter hurdles, with the fourth-best entry time.
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The Portuguese athlete was only surpassed in her heat by Jamaican Rushell Clayton, who ran in 54.32 seconds. In this event, the top three from each heat qualified directly for the semi-finals, along with the next three best times, while the remaining competitors had to participate in a repêchage.
The 24-year-old athlete will compete in the semi-finals at 20:07 local time (19:07 in Lisbon) on Tuesday.
“I am very happy”
Fatoumata Diallo today made the dream of reaching the semi-finals of the 400-meter hurdles at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games a reality, but the Portuguese athlete believes she can still get closer to her national record.
“I am very happy. I was a bit nervous, but it had nothing to do with the competition, because I love running with the best, I love being here. It was more about myself, not wanting to hit the hurdle, fall, not controlling my nerves, making a mistake, not being at the level I should be. But I am very happy, the dream has come true,” revealed the young Portuguese, who is 20 years old.
“The goal was to make it to the semi-finals, and I achieved that. Now, it’s about moving forward and giving my all to reach the final,” she emphasized.
As the national record holder with a time of 54.65 seconds, the debutant Portuguese athlete came very close to her best mark today, running in 54.75 and finishing second in her heat only to Jamaican Rushell Clayton (54.32).
In an event where the top three from each heat and the next three best times qualify directly for the semi-finals (the others compete in the repêchage), Diallo achieved the 11th best time, which bodes well for improving her record.
“I can achieve it; I can. Now, we’ll see that every race is different, the competition is different, but I hope to leave here without regrets, saying ‘I gave everything I had, I won’t leave here disappointed.’ That’s what I want to happen,” she responded when asked if she could run below her time today.
The Portuguese athlete admitted she will be nervous in the semi-finals, noting it is “normal,” but that she has been learning more about herself in these events “with the big names.”
“We have to control our nerves because the work is already done. Nothing changes here. You just have to control it and take full advantage,” she argued.
For Diallo, debuting at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she lives, has a special significance.
“I live nearby [the Stade de France], it feels like home. My whole family is here. I wanted to show them why I’ve been sacrificing every day, why I work hard. And that I didn’t train for four years for nothing,” she confessed.
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