Cuban Omara Durand is the favorite in the 400 meters semifinal in Paris 2024

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 2 (ACN) World record holder and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Omara Durand will start this afternoon as a favorite in one of the two semifinals of the 400 meters flat (T12) of the parathletics tournament of the 17th edition of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, at the Stade de France.

Despite of being first in the qualifying heat number three, a position that should have guaranteed her direct advancement to the final as indicated at that time by the Games' website, the Cuban athlete will be looking for the medal discussion with everything in her favor.

In the qualifying heat Omara and her guide Junior Kindelan won easily with a time of 55.36 seconds, and now they will share lanes with Brazil's Ketyla Teodoro (57.88), Ukraine's Oksava Boturchuk (57.33) and Russia's Ana Kulinich Sorokina (57.26), who competes for the independent team.

In the other semifinal will be Brazil's Clara Daniele Barros Da Silva (57.73), Venezuela's Alejandra Paola Perez (56.97), Iran's Hlayar Safar Zadeh (56.34) and Italy's Valentina Pretrillo (58.33).

The other two Cubans in competition today were left out of the finals: Para-swimmer Josjaniel Hernendez (S7) in the 400 meters freestyle, who finished fifth in his elimination heat, at the Arena La Defensa, and para-sprinter Yanisgladis Suarez, 24th in P3-pistol at 25 meters, at the Chneaux Shootng Center,

With this result, Yanisgladys could not improve the 14th place achieved in the 10-meter air pistol during the previous day.