A clinical performance from Peter Bol saw him the fastest qualifier through to the 800m semi-finals.
An experienced run, the Australian record holder moved up with 300m to go and keeping out of trouble down the straight for a 1:45.86 off the back of a 52.3 first lap.
“First rounds are always tough because you get that nervous energy,” Bol said. “You’re just trying to come out and hopefully not get run out of the heat. Once that’s done, the pressure falls back a little bit, so now I’m looking forward to the next two rounds.”
Bol was pleased that his compatriots also made it through to the next round.
“I had no idea what was going on, who made it and who didn’t. So it’s quite pleasing to see that both of the Australian boys got through as well.”
Reece Holder ran from lane two in the 400m, and with a strange top 16 times qualifying progression, ran a hard 300m before easing off down the straight. He finished second in the second fastest heat time of 45.53s.
The time was noteworthy, as it sees Holder effectively seeded 10th in the semi-final stage, and certain to receive one of the priority lanes 3-6 in one of the 3 semis. He’ll be joined by Tom Reynolds, who received a bye from the first round as one of the top 8 seeded athletes.
Tori West made a better start to the heptathlon than national champion Mia Scerri, with 13.55 in the 100m hurdles, followed by a 1.70m high jump.
