Abington HS Graduate Competing for Jamaica Advances In Olympic 400 Meter Hurdles

Another local connection to the Olympic Games in Rio is thriving on the world's biggest stage.

Sprinter Leah Nugent, a graduate of Abington High School who is competing for Jamaica in the Olympics, advanced to the semifinals in the 400 meter hurdles on Monday night.

Nugent ran 55.66, good enough to place second in her heat on a rainy night on the Brazilian coast.

Nugent's time was the eighth fastest in all of the preliminary heats.

She will draw lane 6 in the third semifinal heat on Tuesday night as she attempts to advance to Thursday night's final. Her race goes off at 8:24 p.m.

Nugent competed for the University of Kentucky and Virginia Tech in college. In high school, she won the outdoor 300 meter intermediate hurdles 3A state championship meet in Pennsylvania in 2011, according to her bio on Kentucky's athletic site. Her time of 41.10 seconds was good enough for a state record.