#95 - A Pair Of Michigan 4ths

September 19, 2025

Inside This Issue

400H: Cockrell Finishes 4th

Anna Cockrell made a brave bid for the podium but ended up just short. For the first half of the final she put the pressure on heavily-favored Femke Bol of the Netherlands. At 100, it was Bol 12.35-Cockrell 12.39. At 200, Bol started to pull away with a 24.37 to Cockrell’s 24.54. Around the final turn, Jasmine Jones started coming on and passed Cockrell (Bol 37.45, Jones 37.69, Cockrell 38.01). Lurking in 4th was Slovakian hurdler Emma Zapletalova (38.57).

On the final stretch, Cockrell paid the price for her aggressive start. The Paris silver medalist began to fade. Bol won in 51.54, Jones got silver in a PR 52.08, Zapletalova passed Cockrell on the run-in and scored a Slovakian record 53.00. Cockrell got 4th in 53.13, missing the podium by 0.13. It was the highest finish ever in this event by a Michigander, topping her own 5th from 2023. Timewise, it was the ninth-fastest race of her career, and third-fastest this season.

200: Battle In 4th Also

Anavia Battle drew lane 8—a solid place for her. Unfortunately, her turn wasn’t as strong as usual. At 100 (11.29) she was in 5th, with two other sprinters at 11.30. She came alive on the stretch and started passing others, but so did Britain’s Amy Hunt (one of the 11.30s).

While Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won as expected, completing her sprint double in 21.69, Hunt grabbed 2nd in 22.14, and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson got bronze in 22.18. Battle in 22.22 missed a medal by 0.04. Her second half took 10.93.

5000: Fisher Makes Final

Grant Fisher did fine in the heats of the 5000, as all of the Americans advanced. He stayed near the the entire way, and with 2 to go pushed the pace to help narrow the X-man field to the 8 qualifiers. He placed a comfortable 6th in 13:41.83.

“You’ve seen a lot of races this week where they become really unpredictable the slower they go in those last few laps. I wanted to decrease that uncertainty…” Strategy-wise, he said, “Everything’s on the table for the final.”

Reply

or to participate.