PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Several athletes linked to the Hampton Roads area are competing this weekend to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, from track and field to gymnastics.
Here are times and how to watch (some events may not be available for viewing):
Friday
- 5:04 p.m. EST — Portsmouth native LaShawn Merritt will compete in the 1st round of the men’s 200m (UPDATE: LaShawn Merritt finished 3rd in his heat of the 200m, so he will advance to the semifinals)
- 5:33 p.m. EST — Chesapeake native Grant Holloway will compete in the 1st round of the 110 meter hurdles (available on NBCOlympics.com) (UPDATE: Grant Holloway easily won the first round of 110m hurdles and will advance to the semifinals)
- 6:30 p.m. EST — CNU grad Legend Boyesen Hayes will compete in the finals of men’s discus (available on NBCOlympics.com) (UPDATE: Legend Boyesen Hayes finished 5th in the discus and will not go to Tokyo)
- 6:35 p.m. EST — Chesapeake native Faith Ross will compete in the 400 meter hurdles. She also competed in the 100 meter hurdles on Sat., June 19, but did not qualify. (UPDATE: Faith Ross finished 25th in the 400m hurdles Friday and will not go to Tokyo)
- 8 p.m. EST — Williamsburg native Ava Siegfeldt competes in the gymnastics trials (on NBC) (UPDATE: Ava Siegfeldt did not qualify for the Games)
Saturday
- 1 p.m. EST — William & Mary grad Elaina Tabb runs in the 10K finals (available on NBCOlympics.com) (UPDATE: Elaina Tabb did not qualify for the Games)
- 9:03 p.m. EST — Grant Holloway (who easily won the first round of 110m hurdles Friday) will compete in the semifinals of the 110 m hurdles (on NBC) (UPDATE: Grant Holloway dominated the trials in the 110 meter hurdles and earned a spot in his first Summer Games next month in Tokyo.)
- 9:30 p.m. EST — Elizabeth City native Sha’Keela Saunders competes in the women’s long jump finals (available on NBCOlympics.com) (UPDATE: Sha’Keela Saunders did not qualify for the Games)
- 10:33 p.m. EST — LaShawn Merritt would compete in the semifinals of the 200m (on NBC) (UPDATE: LaShawn Merritt did not qualify for the Games)
- 10:51 p.m. EST — Grant Holloway will compete in the finals of the 110m hurdles (on NBC) (UPDATE: Grant Holloway dominated the trials in the 110 meter hurdles and earned a spot in his first Summer Games next month in Tokyo.)
Sunday
- 7:52 p.m. EST — LaShawn Merritt (who finished third in his heat Friday) will compete in the finals of the 200m (on NBC) (UPDATE: LaShawn Merritt did not qualify for the Games)
For more info on event times and how to watch, click here.
Meanwhile several local athletes have already qualified for the Olympics.
- Keyshawn Davis (Norfolk), boxing
- Michael Cherry (Chesapeake), track (400m)
- Caine Wilkes (Chesapeake/ODU), weightlifting
- Justin Dowell (Virginia Beach), BMX freestyle
- Maggie Shea/Stephanie Roble (Roble went to ODU), sailing
WAVY’s Marielena Balouris will be in Tokyo covering the Olympics, which start Friday, July 23. You can watch the games on WAVY. Follow Marielena on Twitter for updates on all of these local athletes.
For more coverage, visit WAVY’s Olympics page.