Saskatchewan’s Savannah Sutherland advances to 400m hurdles semi-finals
In her Olympic debut, the 20-year-old from Borden, Sask., advanced to the women's 400m hurdles semi-finals
James Rhodes (@jrhodesathletics)
On Sunday morning, Savannah Sutherland of Borden, Sask., had an Olympic debut she will never forget. The 20-year-old ran 54.80 seconds in her heat of the women’s 400m hurdles to take the third automatic qualifying spot for Tuesday’s semi-finals.
Sutherland was third in her heat behind American Jasmine Jones and South Africa’s Rogail Joseph, who ran a personal best of 54.56 to finish just ahead of Sutherland. “I’m happy I competed well today,” said Sutherland. “I felt a little bit rusty, as I haven’t hurdled for more than a month.”
The last time Sutherland raced the event was two months ago at the 2024 NCAA Championships, where she set a new Canadian national record of 53.26 and finished in second place. “It was nice to shake off some of the dust,” Sutherland laughed.
Savannah Sutherland sets Canadian 400m hurdles record at NCAA Championships
When asked if the Olympics were everything Sutherland thought they’d be, she said they were more than she ever imagined. “The moment I stepped off the bus, I heard a huge roar from the stadium,” said Sutherland. “I kept telling myself to keep the energy going during my warmup and feed off it in the race.”
Sutherland is excited for the opportunity to compete against the best in the world in the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles at these Games. The 400m hurdles semifinal rounds take place during Tuesday’s evening session at 8:05 p.m. local time (2:05 p.m. ET).
Her semifinal berth made her one of three Canadians to advance to the next round of their respective events on Sunday morning at the Stade de France. Audrey Leduc was third in her heat of the women’s 200m to advance to tomorrow’s semis, and defending world champion Camryn Rogers finished second in qualifying for the women’s hammer throw with a toss of 74.69 meters, advancing to Tuesday’s final.
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and PUMA Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
