Lekki Clavier was unable to compete for medals in the 400m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Wednesday. The North Holland rider started really fast in the final but collapsed in the final running.
The 25-year-old Claver sprinted from the starting spot and appeared to be heading for a historic 300-metre slide. Because her engine began to falter after the final turn, she dropped to sixth.
Marelidi Paulino raced to the world title in 48.76 seconds. The 26-year-old Dominican was the best and was no less than 0.81 seconds ahead of second place Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland. Sada Williams of Barbados took the bronze.
Meanwhile, Claver struggled with acidification and finished in 50.33 seconds. This put her much slower than her personal best of 49.81 seconds last month. With a time of 49.44 seconds, the Dutch record is now held by Vemke Paul, who is focusing on the 400m hurdles at the World Cup.
With a sixth-place finish, Clavier was unable to improve on her best World Cup performance. Last year in the American Eugene, she finished fourth in the 400-meter race. Then she clocked the exact same time in the final fight with 50.33.
For Claver, the tournament is far from over. She will be competing in the 4x400m series on Saturday night with Paul and others. Final on Sunday evening. The Dutch team is one of the favorites in this segment.
Uitslag 400 meter
- Marileidy Paulino (Dom) – 48,76
- Natalia Kaczmarek (Pol) – 49,57
- Sada Williams (Bar) – 49,60
- Rhasidat Adeleke (Ier) – 50,13
- Cynthia Bolingo (Bel) – 50,33
- Lieke Klaver (Ned) – 50,33
- Candice McLeod (Jam) – 51.08
- Talitha Diggs (Ken) – 51,25
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Supertalent Niels Laros kan ondanks record niet stunten in WK-finale 1.500 meter