Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Daniel Roberts Advance to Semifinals at Olympic Games

PARIS, France – The first two Kentucky Track and Field Olympians took to the track in Paris on Sunday morning, as hurdlers Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Daniel Roberts each advanced out of their respective opening round with an automatic qualification.

McLaughlin-Levrone, who is the defending gold medalist and current world record holder in the 400m hurdles, began her third Olympic campaign in her signature event with an easy 53.60 on the way to victory in the fifth and final heat of Round 1. The 2018 NCAA Champion was able to make up the stagger by the second hurdle and cruised to the home stretch, crossing the finish line without contest. Her time was good for third fastest across all competitors on Sunday and earned McLaughlin-Levrone a “big Q” to Tuesday’s semifinal.

Roberts, a Kentucky athlete from 2016-2019, qualified out of Round 1 of the 110m hurdles after finishing third in heat three. After starting well out of the blocks, the three-time U.S. champion found himself in a photo finish, as one of four athletes crossing the line seemingly simultaneously. Needing to finish in the top three to automatically qualify to the semifinals, Roberts leaned across the line to advance with the third and final “big Q”.  An Olympic Semifinalist in Tokyo, Roberts will look to improve upon his ninth-place finish from 2021 and advance to his first Olympic final.

Two more Wildcats will debut in Paris on Monday morning, as Andrew Evans takes to the discus ring while Alexis Holmes begins the rounds of the 400m. Evans, a two-time Olympian who also competed at Rio in 2016, won the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials and will open his second games at 4:10 a.m. (ET) in Qualification Group A of the Discus Throw. The top 12 athletes across two groups will advance to Wednesday’s final. Holmes, who is making her Olympic debut after placing third at the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials, will run her opening round heat of the 400m at 5:55 a.m. (ET).

A full event schedule for Kentucky athletes is listed below.

Event Schedule

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