Mothersill races into finals

(CNS): Slashing both her time in the quarterfinals (22.83) and her season best in the preliminaries (22.76), the Cayman Islands’ Cydonie Mothersill qualified for the finals in the Women’s 200-meter with a time of 22.61 seconds. "I ran it like it was my finals," Mothersill told Cayman Islands Olympic Committee Journalist Shurna Robbins. "I ran it like there was no tomorrow. And I live to fight another night."

“I didn’t think I got off particularly too well. But I was strong and God was on my side. I am so happy, God is so good, because I have had a rough season, and tonight I’m in the finals and it’s an awesome feeling. I got knocked out four years ago and I’m just happy. I feel blessed,” she said.

Mothersill said she just focused on the race. "I just ran. I just stayed in my lane and just kept on running 202 metres." For the finals she said she’s just going to run a bit harder than she did today.

The whole of the Cayman Islands must be celebrating Mothersill’s victory with her, says Coach Kenrick Williams, certain the entire population in Cayman will be up early to watch the finals tomorrow, the first time a Caymanian athlete has made it into the finals in the Olympic Games. "I know she is a warrior and I know she is a fighter," says Williams. "And she is going to fight all the way to the end.

"With a final time of 22.61 seconds, Mothersill’s overall ranking was ninth out of 16 runners, and she joins a tough line-up. Even her all-time personal best of 22.39, which she ran in 2005, might not bring her a medal against the powerhouse teams from Jamaica and the US.

In the semifinals Wednesday,Americans Allyson Felix (22.33), Muna Lee (22.29) and Marshevet Hooker (22.50) all advanced, as did the Jamaican trio of Veronica Campbell-Brown (22.19) Sherone Simpson (22.50) and Kerron Stewart (22.29). Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas also advanced with a time of 22.51. The Americans are hoping to avoid a replay in Thursday’s finals in the 200m of the clean sweep of medals by the Jamaican team in the 100 finals.