Kazan, Russia—July 9—In the 800m semi final of the FISU Games, Valley Royal athletes Jessica Smith placed 3rd in her semi final heat (2:01.61) while teammate Helen Crofts came fifth in her section with an all time best of 2:01.35. Those performances qualified both runners for yesterday’s final that saw Smith place 6th with a seasonal best 2:00.43 and Crofts was 7th (2:03.30). The race was won by Maranta Mukasheva (KAZ) in 1:58.96.
Both Smith and Crofts will now embark on a European tour during which they will participate in a number of competitions.