Three Hogs Advance Past First Round Action

LONDON – Day three of the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London brought more success for the Arkansas men’s track and field team, with three Razorbacks advancing past first round action of their respective events.

ProHogs Stanley Kebenei (steeplechase) and Omar McLeod (110-meter hurdles) both remain in the medal hunt, following strong preliminary round showings.

Kebenei finished with the 12th-best time of the day in the steeplechase, completing the race in 8 minutes, 24.19 seconds.

“I came here with positivity, determined to qualify for finals,” Kebenei said. “I’m feeling good and very ready for Tuesday. Running smooth in the prelims was a good sign. I feel like what has got me here is good preparation and I believe that 2017 is going to be a great year for me.”

McLeod had the strongest performance of the 110 hurdles semifinals with a decisive 13.10-second victory out of heat one.

VIDEO: Omar McLeod 🇯🇲 WINS semifinal 1 of Men's 110M Hurdles. #WorldChamps2017 https://t.co/N4nYK5NJZg

— Team Jamaica (@TeamJA876) August 6, 2017

“I have been working on my start, but I know that I just have to do it the Omar McLeod-way,” McLeod said. “When I competed at the 2015 Worlds, that was a learning curve for me. I made the finals. Now in 2017 I kind of want a revenge for 2015 and just ‘do me’. I am always confident. It is a privilege – I am getting better and better. I am not limiting myself, so if it [the world record] happens it happens. I have heard that I might run in the 4-x-100-meter relay. Let’s see what happens, hopefully I will be selected.”

Current Razorback, Kemar Mowatt (400-meter hurdles) also made it through the preliminary rounds, finishing inside the top-four of section one to earn an automatic spot in tomorrow’s semifinals. The race was his first since qualifying for the championships in June at the Jamaican national meet.

In the field, Arkansas pole vault record-holder Andrew Irwin finished 15th in his world championship debut with a best clearance of 5.60m/18-4 1/2.

Up Next
Two-time NCAA champion Clive Pullen will look to advance out of the triple jump qualifier tomorrow afternoon at 12:35 p.m. CT.

From WholeHogSports Headlines: Clive Pullen prepared for World Championships https://t.co/dSEKbdj0XK pic.twitter.com/KsPyKewU9G

— Sharp Williams (@SharpTusk) July 17, 2017

World championships coverage will begin at 12 p.m. CT on NBC Sports. Fans can also follow the live results HERE.

Date: Aug. 4-13
Venue: London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Important Link: Meet Central (Schedule, Live Results, IAAF Radio and Athlete Stats)
Broadcast Schedule: NBC (see table below)

Arkansas Entries (12)
• Bahamas – Tamara Myers (Triple Jump)
• Jamaica – Kemoy Campbell (5,000), Omar McLeod (110mH), Kemar Mowatt (400mH) and Clive Pullen (Triple Jump)
• Slovenia – Tina Sutej (Pole Vault)
• Trinidad & Tobago – Sparkle McKnight (400mH)
• USA – Daina Harper (4-x-400m Relay), Andrew Irwin (Pole Vault), Stanley Kebenei (Steeplechase), Jarrion Lawson (Long Jump) and Sandi Morris (Pole Vault)

Arkansas World Championships Medalists (Chronological)
• 1983: Mike Conley (Long Jump – Bronze)
• 1987: Mike Conley (Triple Jump – Silver), Roddie Haley (4-x-400m Relay – Gold)
• 1991: Mike Conley (Triple Jump – Bronze)
• 1993: Mike Conley (Triple Jump – Gold)
• 1997: Erick Walder (Long Jump – Silver)
• 2005: Wallace Spearmon Jr. (200m – Silver)
• 2007: Tyson Gay (100m – Gold, 200m – Gold, 4-x-100m Relay – Gold), Wallace Spearmon Jr. (200m – Bronze, 4-x-100m Relay – Gold)
• 2009: Tyson Gay (100m – Silver), Wallace Spearmon Jr. (200m – Bronze)
• 2017: Jarrion Lawson (Long Jump – Silver)

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.