Christabel Nettey advances to women's long jump final

​Canada's Christabel Nettey was overwhelmed when she began training among some of track and field's biggest stars at Altis in Phoenix.

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Now she's on her way to becoming one of them.

The 24-year-old from Surrey, B.C., whose meteoric rise in long jump this season has taken her to a No. 2 ranking, is through to the final at the IAAF world track and field championships in Beijing.

Nettey credits her coach Dan Pfaff and the environment at Altis — formerly the World Athletics Center — with her rise through the ranks.

"Last year I was star-struck because everybody [at Altis] was some sort of champion," Nettey said. "It's nice, to see their work ethic, to just be put in with them …"

Nettey jumped 6.79 metres on her third of three jumps on Thursday morning, the fourth-best jump in qualifying, and will look to best that distance in Friday's final at 7:50 a.m. ET.

Ivana Spanovic was the top qualifier with 6.91.

Ailing Reese fails to qualify

American Brittney Reese, the three-time defending world champion and Olympic gold medallist, failed to qualify with a best jump of 6.39. Reese has been dealing with a back injury.

Nettey is ranked second in the world behind American Tianna Bartoletta, who jumped 6.71 on Thursday, seventh-best.

Last year ... I was basically the only [long jump] athlete under my coach at the time. So I really got a lot of one-on-one time and this year I'm just really putting it all together.- Canadian long jumper Cristabel Nettey on coach Dan Pfaff

The Canadian has two of the four best jumps in the world this year, including her Canadian record 6.99 set at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., in May.

This is her second season working with Pfaff, who has tutored nearly 50 Olympians in his career including star sprinter Donovan Bailey.

"Last year I really learned a lot, I was basically the only [long jump] athlete under my coach at the time," she said. "So I really got a lot of one-on-one time and this year I'm just really putting it all together."

Nettey grew up competing alongside her sister Sabrina, who's older by a year-and-a-half.

The sisters made the Canadian team for the 2007 world youth championships together. Nettey won a relay bronze and was eighth in the 100 metres and 14th in the long jump. Sabrina made the semifinals in the 100.

Nettey says her sister still competes, but mainly just for fun.

The rising long jump star is part of a young Canadian track and field team that is poised for its best world championships ever. Canada has four medals: gold from pole vaulter Shawn Barber, Brianne Theisen-Eaton's silver in the heptathlon, and bronze from Andre De Grasse in the 100 metres and Ben Thorne in the 20-kilometre race walk.

"I'm proud of my teammates," Nettey said. "For a bit it did suck because you're just waiting, still training and everyone's kind of tapering off, so it's nice to come out here … I woke up this morning and thought 'Oh my gosh, it's today.' It's nice."

Other Canadian highlights of Thursday's morning session:

• In the women's 100-metre hurdles, Nikkita Holder and Phylicia George advanced to Friday's semifinals (7:25 a.m. ET), stopping the clock in 12.86 seconds and 13.03 seconds, respectively.
• Charles Philibert-Thiboutot finished seventh among 12 runners in his men's 1,500-metre heat in a time of three minutes 39.72 seconds to qualify for Friday's semifinals at 7:55 a.m.
• Nicole Sifuentes failed to qualify for the women's 5,000 final by more than seven seconds, crossing the line in 15 minutes 50.99 seconds.