Lopes Advances at World Championships

HELSINKI, Finland ? Priscilla Lopes became the first Nebraska track and field athlete to advance past the qualifying rounds at the 2005 World Track and Field Championships Tuesday when she reached the semifinals of the women’s 100-meter hurdles.

Lopes, who is representing Canada, posted an automatic-qualifying time of 12.85 to finish fourth in heat No. 4 of 5. The mark tied for the ninth-fastest performance of the day and qualified her for the semifinals, which are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 11:45 a.m. CT. The Whitby, Ontario, native came within 0.03 of the season-best time she notched to finish as runner-up at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif. She owns a personal best of 12.64.

Former Husker Ineta Radevica also competed Tuesday in the qualifying rounds of the women’s long jump. The three-time NCAA champion, who is competing for Latvia, was eliminated from competition after recording a mark that ranked 23rd out of 25 competitors. Radevica managed only a leap of 20-3 1/2, which is more than two feet shy of the personal-best 22-3 3/4 she registered at a meet in Tallinn, Estonia, in late June.

Only one Husker other than Lopes is scheduled to compete this week in Helsinki. Dmitrijs Milkevics, the 2005 NCAA outdoor 800-meter champion, will battle the world’s best middle distance runners in the 800 beginning Thursday, Aug. 11 at 12:20 p.m. CT.