MOSCOW, August 15 (R-Sport) - Defending Olympic and world champion high jumper Anna Chicherova of Russia was among 13 women to qualify Thursday for the world athletics championships final at Luzhniki stadium.
None reached the automatic qualifying standard of 1.95m; instead, the advancing mark was set at 1.92.
"I don't think there are clear favorites in our event," Chicherova said. "Everything will depend on who is less nervous in the final."
Also moving on to Saturday's final are London bronze medalist Svetlana Shkolina, also of Russia, and Brigetta Barrett, who won London silver for the United States.
Barrett narrowly missed qualifying after failing her first two attempts at 1.83m.
"On my third attempt I was so nervous, I couldn't breathe," she said.
Swede Emma Green Tregaro, who also qualifed, had her fingernails painted in rainbow colors in support of Russia's gay community - a subtle form of protest aimed at the country's controversial law banning the promotion of homosexuality to minors.
The remaining qualifiers are: Airine Palsyte (Lithuania); Alessia Trost (Italy); Irina Gordeeva (Russia); Ruth Beitia (Spain); Xingjuan Zheng (China); Kamila Stepaniuk (Poland); Justyna Kasprzycka (Poland); Levern Spencer (Saint Lucia); Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch (Germany).
