Emmanuel first Canadian woman in 33 years to advance to 200 final at worlds
LONDON — Crystal Emmanuel looked fierce, like a fired-up boxer about to climb into the ring.
Then she raced into the women’s 200-metre final at the world track and field championships, a place no Canadian woman has gone in 33 years.
The 25-year-old from Toronto ran 22.85 seconds to finish third in her semifinal and clinch a spot in Friday’s final — a first for a Canadian woman in the distance since Angela Bailey in 1983.
When the television camera panned the field for her 200-metre semifinal, it caught the Canadian talking to herself. She was repeating her mantra: “Beast. Just me.”