The China Mail - Athletics at the Paris Olympics: Day 6 highlights

Alfred sped to 100m gold on Saturday to hand her tiny Caribbean island nation its first-ever Olympic medal.

AFP Sport looks at five stand-out events on the sixth day of competition in the athletics programme.

Women's 200m - Final

After upsetting world champion Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m final, St. Lucia's Julien Alfred aims to complete a sprint double in the 200m.

To do so she is likely to have to overcome the in-form American Gabrielle Thomas, who qualified fastest from Monday's semi-finals with a time of 21.86sec.

Thomas, the fastest woman in the world this year over 200m with a time of 21.78sec set at the US trials in June, is aiming to win her first major championship title after a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Men's 1500m - Final

The ferocious rivalry between Great Britain's Josh Kerr and Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen gets another blockbuster instalment in what promises to be a classic 1,500m final.

Kerr, who pipped Ingebrigtsen for gold at last year's World Championships, has traded verbal jabs with his Norwegian rival -- the reigning Olympic champion -- since arriving in Paris.

"The spectators and viewers should just be expecting one of the most vicious and hardest 1500s that the sport's ever seen," Kerr told reporters.

"I'm ready to go after it, I think we all are, there's been a lot of talking over the last kind of 12 months, even two years, so I'm just looking to settle that a little bit on Tuesday and give it my best performance."

Ingebrigtsen for his part has prodded Kerr repeatedly in the build-up to the Olympics, mocking the Briton's decision to skip the European Championships in Rome last month.

"It is difficult to refer to him as a rival when he is never there," the 23-year-old Norwegian said. "He is known as the Brit who never competes."

Women's 3000m steeplechase - Final

The leading 10 athletes this season will go head-to-head in the women's 3,000m steeplechase, including world champion Winfred Yavi, defending Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai and world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech.

Four countries have won Olympic gold since the women's event was added at the 2008 Games in Beijing: Russia, Tunisia, Bahrain and Uganda.

Chemutai's tactical win in the Covid-delayed Games in 2021 led to Uganda gaining a first steeplechase title and she becoming the first Ugandan woman to win gold.

"I'm looking forward to the final and need to defend my title," said Chemutai. "I don't want to feel too much pressure. I need to relax and run my race."

Men's Long Jump - Final

Miltiadis Tentoglou has what he calls an "amazing" challenge ahead of him -- defending his Olympic gold to match US track and field legend Carl Lewis as the only two long jumpers to have retained their titles.

"It would make me one of the best of all time," the 26-year-old Greek said.

"Maybe not the very best, not in terms of results, but in terms of achievements. That is my extra motivation. That and 8.75m, the dream distance."

Tentoglou, the reigning world outdoor and indoor champion and three-time European gold medallist, was blase about the return of crowds after the spectator-less Tokyo Games.

"I am so focused on the competition it doesn't matter if it's empty or full because I only care about my jump," he said.

"But I love it because my family can come now to watch me."

Women's Hammer Throw - Final

The United States' Brooke Andersen had looked to be in pole position for Olympic gold after hurling a world-leading throw of 79.92m in early May.

But the American sensationally bombed out of the US trials in June after three fouls in the final, removing a certain gold medal contender from the equation in Tuesday's final.

With Andersen out of the picture, Canada's Camryn Rogers could potentially emulate her compatriot Ethan Katzberg, who won gold in the men's event on Sunday.

Rogers -- the reigning world champion -- has the leading throw this year of all finalists, a 77.76 heave at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon in May.

The USA's former world champion Deanna Price is also in the mix, while three-time Olympic champion Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland is back for what will be her fifth Olympic experience. The 38-year-old is well outside the leading throws this season however with a best of 72.92m.

D.Wang--ThChM