EILIDH Doyle, the Scot whose popularity saw her voted in as captain of the British team for this championships, got her campaign off to the ideal start as she cruised into the semi-finals of the 400 metres hurdles.
The 30-year-old from Perth looked relaxed in the opening stages, pushing sliughtly harder down the back straight and almost drawing level in the home straight level with American race leader Kori Carter before easing off in the closing stages, aware that she had done more than enough to secure one of the four automatic spots in the quarter-final.
“It’s been nerve wracking getting out there,” she said afterwards. “I just wanted to get the first round out of the way and get that secure qualification.
“I spent the last few days just watching everybody and it’s made me hungry to get out and have my own shot.
“It was amazing, I couldn’t even hear my name getting announced because of the cheer. It was just incredible.”
Doyle admitted that the additional responsibility of the captaincy carried with it the danger of getting too involved in her team-mates’ efforts, but reckoned that the way the schedule had worked out had been helpful in that regard.
“You obviously want to support the team and watch them but it can get you very emotional,” she observed. “You can go from highs to lows but today I was lucky there was no athletics on in the morning so I could just switch off, watch TV and forget about it.”
But while the British team captain went through, finishing third in 55.49, Jess Turner missed out.
Nathan Fox also failed to reach the men’s triple jump final with a best leap of 16.49m – well below the 17m qualifying mark.
Sophie Hitchon, who won Olympic bronze in Rio, threw 72.32m in the hammer but failed to grab a medal in London, finishing seventh on another sobering night for British hopes.
Hitchon threw 72.32m but was over 5m behind the winner – Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk – and admitted she should have done better.
She said: “I felt like I was in better shape and if i had the rhythm I had in qualification you don’t know what could have happened.
“Of course I am (going to beat myself up about the result), that’s part of my personality. Maybe it comes out in me a little more and some athletes do better to hide it but I’m just really disappointed.”
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