Athletics-Thompson and Bednarek dead heat their way into 100m final

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By Mitch Phillips

TOKYO (Reuters) -Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson and American Kenny Bednarek laughed their way into the world 100 metres final on Sunday, crossing the line smiling together in their heat with identical times to the thousandth of a second in 9.85 seconds.

Thompson, who lost the Olympic final to Noah Lyles by five thousandths last year, is a more relaxed athlete now and will hope to go one better in the final later on Sunday as he seeks Jamaica’s first world 100m title since the last of Usain Bolt’s triumphs in 2015.

Remarkably, Briton Zharnel Hughes and Canadian Jerome Blake were also timed the same to the thousandth in 10.03 to share third place behind them, but neither advanced.

Bednarek has gone under the radar somewhat as teammate Lyles hogs the headlines but will be a real threat in the final.

Unlike in the heats, defending champion Lyles was slow out of the blocks in the first semi-final so went through his usual routine of having to chase down half the field at halfway.

He managed it – just – catching Kayinsola Ajayi on the line in a time of 9.92 to the Nigerian’s 9.93.

Oblique Seville was an impressive winner of the third heat in 9.86 but, after looking the man to beat through the rounds at the Olympics then finishing last in the final, he – and his rivals – know the Jamaican has yet to deliver when it really matters.

Letsile Tebogo, the Olympic 200 metre champion and world 100m silver medallist two years ago, also went though in 9.94.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who took a shock Olympic title on the same track four years ago but who has struggled with injury all season, trailed in sixth in the opening heat.

(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Clare Fallon)