The Bernese national runs 200m faster than ever – and rewarded herself with a place in the final at the World Championships in Eugene.
Mugenga Kamponge broke her own Swiss record at the World Championships in Athletics in Eugene. She completed the 200-plus semi-finals in 22.05 seconds and ran 13 hundred faster than she did at the Citius meeting in Wankdorf in Bern a month ago.
After that, tremors began on the 30-year-old. In third place behind Sherika Jackson (JAM) and Aminatou Seni (NIG) she had to hope for one of the two remaining places in the final over time.
Elaine Thompson-Hira Kaponge was sent off after the second semi-final. But Swiss luck was on her side. The third heat in the semi-finals was slower than the Campundji heat. Accordingly, no athlete was able to dislodge the Swiss from second place, the lucky loser.
“I thought I should run under 22 seconds”
This brings Kambundji into the 200m final of a major intercontinental event for the third time in a row. In the 2017 World Cup in London, she narrowly missed the final. In that time, the exceptional Swiss sprinter ran 22.85. Two years later, she won her first medal at the World Championships in Doha with a bronze medal on the half track. She also made it to the final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo – as well as over 100 metres. Now, Friday evening, Swiss time, there will be another final on the big stage.
Coaches Adrian Rothenbuller and Kampundji had speculated in the run-up to the semi-finals that a time of less than 22 seconds would be necessary to secure a place in the finals given the level of performance. In the end, this was not the case.
During the interview that followed her qualification to the final, Kambundji looked at the screen in disbelief. “They’re not going to change that now, are they?” she asked. “I thought I should run under 22 seconds. But I am so happy. It just felt so much better than before.”
Unlike before, Kambundji can now recover for two days. Like the men’s final, the 200m final will take place on Friday night Swiss time.
World Athletics Championships in Eugene
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