July 14, 2004
GROSSETO, Italy – Freshman All-American Ashlee Kidd advanced to the finals of the women’s 400 meters with a time of 53.93 at the IAAF World Junior Championships on Wednesday night.
Natasha Hastings, Kidd’s U.S. teammate, won the semifinal heat with a time of 53.50 and will be the favorite heading in to tomorrow’s finals.
Kidd qualified for the semifinals yesterday morning with a time of 53.56. She holds the top time of all the competitors in the event for 2004 with a personal-best mark of 51.76 at the NCAA East Region Championships on May 29.
Hastings defeated Kidd at the U.S. Junior National Championships and has won both the preliminary and semifinal rounds at the World Junior Championships.
The top four from the two heats tonight moved on to the finals, which are scheduled for 9:50 p.m. Thursday night (3:50 p.m. ET). For more information on the championship event, go to IAAF World Junior Championships Schedule.
