Wiseman Were in action at the Paris Olympics (C) NOC-K
Kenya's 400 metres hurdler, Wiseman Mukhobe Were, is through to semifinals of his event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after running a superb 48.58s to finish 5th in Heat Four of Round One races in the 400 metres hurdles at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, on Monday morning.
Were's time, though not good enough to secure automatic qualification, was worth the effort in a fast race in which all but one of the eight athletes register sub 49s times, allowing Were and two other athletes in that race to qualify for the semifinals by virtue of running the fastest times despite not ranking in the top three.
Round One of the men's 400 metres hurdles featured five heats. The top three finishers in each heat advanced automatically to the semifinals, where they were joined the next three best finishers. The athletes who finished the race but failed to meet the cut on those two aspects will have to fight for the remaining six slots in the repechage round.
Roshawn Clarke won Were's heat with a time of 48.17s. He was followed in second place by the Nigerian Ezekiel Nathaniel who clocked 48.38s.
Wilfried Hippio of the host nation, France, was third with a time of 48.42s. The Italian Alessandro Sibilio, who was a finalist in the same event at Tokyo 2020, finished fourth with a time of 48.43s.
Nick Smidt of the Netherlands, who finished in sixth place behind Were, ran a season best time of 48.64s to ensure that all the top six finishers in that heat make the semifinals.
Gerald Drummond of Costa Rica (7th, 48.80s) and the German Constantin Preis (8th, 49.99s) will get a second chance to qualify for the semifinal in the repechage round on Tuesday, August 6.
The semifinals will take place on Wednesday 7 August.
