Stratton soared 6.83 metres to finish seventh and match her placing from Rio 2016. It was an improvement on her 6.60m in qualifying and she looked like she might produce more to push closer to the medals, but it wasn’t to be. German world champion took the gold with 7.00m in a super tight battle for the podium. 

“The competition started a little bit rocky with a foul first round jump, to have jumped the 6.83m on my third jump to secure a spot in the final was great. I’m really happy with that distance and it boosted my confidence leading into the next three jumps,” Stratton said. 

“It has been a rocky lead in with injury. A couple of months I didn’t even know if I was going to make it here. The jump is my fifth furthest ever. I can’t be disappointed.” 

“It’s a bittersweet placing as 7th is where I placed in Rio, but the performance was further, and the girls out there were very consistent, and it would have taken a lot to make the podium.” 

Little doubting javelin depth with all three women into final 

Australia has qualified three throwers into an medal round of the javelin for the first time in history, men or women. Olympic debutant Mackenzie Little, world champion Kelsey Barber and Commonwealth champion Kathryn Mitchell all survived a tense qualifying.  

Little, a 24-year-old medical student, threw in the first qualification group and produced a personal best of 62.37 metres with her opening throw. That was enough for her to place second in that group then and qualify fourth for the final.  

“I just executed the things I’ve been working on. My coach was confident, and I’m so happy that it all came together. I was able to get it done on the first throw and I couldn’t be happier with a PB,” Little said. 

“I think I’ve put my best foot forward. I’ve done everything I could and I look forward to preparing again to compete on Friday. 

“I’ve seen myself here for a while. I’ve been working hard and slowly improving. I’m so glad that things have come together at the right time.” 

Barber had two poor throws to start, produced the clutch throw on her final attempt to qualify third with a season best of 62.59 metres.  

“I’m really pumped. Far out, I really drew on my experience out there today. I’ve been in situations like that before and tried to continue the composed, the put together kind of throw, but I had to find another gear, discover my competitor and that’s what I did in the final round,” Barber said. 

“On the final throw, my coach just said you’ve got to throw the javelin. It was neat work, a neat runway, but put that aside and throw it as far as you can. I was trying to control my throw to much, I had to go with the fast track.” 

“There were fleeting moments (of doubt), but I recognised it and it was a matter of realising I’m better than this, showing I have something to prove and taking that to the top of the runway.” 

“I’ve shown that I can lift to the occasion. I love to perform, and I love a challenge, and that’s what I’ll take to the final.” 

Mitchell also had to draw on all her experience and self-belief to reach a third consecutive Olympiuc final. The Australian Record Holder and Commonwealth Champion lost her footing on her opening throw and fell on the grass. She did a reset though and came back to throw 61.85 metres on her second attempt and that was enough to qualify 10th for the 12-woman final.  

“I stacked it on the first one. My leg turnover wasn’t right, I’m not even sure what happened really, I just realised I was laying on the grass. That impacted mentally, I tried to reset, start again and return to what I try do every throw. The second one had better timing and it was enough,” Mitchell explained. 

“My technique has been inconsistent, so I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to do my best and make the final, I just concentrated on doing the best that I can do. I’m through.” 

Mitchell was 9th in 2012 and sixth in 2016. She knows what it takes to improve in Friday’s final. 

“It doesn’t take much in javelin, it’s such a technical event. Physically I’m in good shape, I’ve had a few technical problems, but I know that if I get on to one it will go. I’ll keep trying and keep going.” 

Hoare and McSweyn through to 1500m semis 

Two Australian men have reached the Olympic semi-finals of the 1500m for the first time since 1984 and Mackenzie Little has led the Australian women’s javelin trio into the final at Tokyo 2020.  

Stewart McSweyn and Ollie Hoare navigated the challenges of rough championship heats but Jye Edwards wasn’t as fortunate and just missed progressing. 

Hoare’s form coming into his first Olympics was not in doubt and he showed great tactics to avoid any dramas in the first heat. He positioned himself well near the front of the pack and was sitting third with 500m to run.  

As the pace came on at the bell, he got shuffled back but moved wide down the back straight to be sitting fourth with 200m to run. He looked relaxed to the line and finished third in 3:36.09, to next the Kenyan World Champion.   

“It was a stacked heat; it could have been a final at most championships,” Hoare said. 

“My coach and I had a goal of top-three in each race, try and keep an eye on what’s happening and keep it honest. I felt like it was going to be slow, so I tried to keep some pace on it,” Hoare said. 

“I’m fit enough for this. I’ve been training for it and will give my all in every race. I’ll be making the most of the rest days, taking a chance to relax and looking forward to the next one. As long as I represent the green and gold with pride, that’s all I can do.” 

McSweyn, the Australian record holder, held back at the start but with the pace not on, he ran around the field to take the lead after 200m. He then really pushed the pace from the front as he loves to do and led for the next three laps before counting the numbers down the final straight to finished 3rd in 3:36.09.  

“I was surprised no one wanted to take on the pace, but I’m in good shape and was happy to do it. I knew on the last lap that I had a lot to give and be comfortably in the top-six. You’ve got more to lose than win in the first round, so I’m happy to tick the box and will get ready to go in two days’ time,” McSweyn said. 

“I know that I need to lift for the semi. Training has been going well. I’m going to take it on and if guys beat me, they beat me. I’m not going to leave here wondering. It’s a special feeling pulling on the Aussie top and I’ll give 110% in everything that I do.” 

“It was pretty humid out there, it’s definitely worse in the morning, but no excuses. All 48 guys had to run it and we are all out there taking it on.” 

Edwards, 23, in his first major Championship after a breakthrough season was unlucky to be in a heat where the pace wasn’t on like the other two and there was more rough and tumble.  

Edwards was sitting sixth with 800m to run before getting jostled and then being back in sixth, with a lap to run. He lost some momentum with a fall on the last lap and recovered into the home straight, but the top six automatic spots were gone.  

He placed seventh in 3:42.62 but not quick enough to progress. Edwards was frustrated to not progress after a great season and good preparation, but he showed he belonged on the big stage.  

Oboya unable to progress in fast 400m heats 

The pace was on in the women’s 400m heats and Bendere Oboya would need to run close to her personal best of 51.21 from the 2019 World Championships to progress from what was a tough heat draw.  

The 21-year-old from Sydney got out of the blocks well and looked good in the early stage down the back straight before losing some ground and couldn’t lift around the bend and produce her normal fast finish. She finished fifth in her heat with 52.37 seconds, and it wasn’t enough to progress on times.  

There was disappointment but she made no excuses. It ‘just wasn’t my day and that can happen’. She has so much ahead of her, and she will be back better at the next majors in 2022.

Evening session: 8pm – 11pm 

High hurdler Nick Hough will kick off the Aussie action at 8.10pm AEST in his heats.  

The 27-year-old Hough becomes the first Australian to represent in the event at the Olympics since Australian record holder and Indigenous Liaison Officer for the Tokyo Team, Kyle Vander-Kuyp ran in Sydney 2000. Hough boasts a personal best of 13.37 – less than 0.1s away from the longstanding national record. 

Our first final of the evening in track and field will be the men’s pole vault, with Commonwealth Games champion Kurtis Marschall dueling for a place on the podium. Marschall cleared 5.75m to secure his place in the final, but not before an anxious third attempt clearance at 5.65m which threatened his place for a medal. He’s had a season’s best of 5.80m this year, just shy of his personal best of 5.81m.  

The final races of the evening will see Morgan McDonald, David McNeill and Patrick Tiernan in his second race of the Olympics, line up for the 5000m. 34-year-old McNeill will make his third Olympic appearance in the event after qualifying in Perth just a few months ago, while Tiernan will make a heroic return to the track after collapsing from heat exhaustion in the 10,000m.  

Andrew Reid and Cody Lynch