#BEIJING2015: McDonald advances to 400m semis with national record
KINGSTON, Jamaica – With explosive running in the heats of the men’s 400 metres, Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald and Javon Francis both picked up second places to qualify for the semi-finals at the IAAF World Championships now under way in Beijing, China.
McDonald clocked a national record of 43.93 seconds in his heat, while Francis finished in a time of 44.83 seconds to automatically qualify for the semi-finals.
The third Jamaican in the competition, Peter Matthews, clocked a personal best 44.69 seconds to finish fourth in his heat. He also qualified for the semi-finals as one of the fastest losers.
Yousef Ahmed Masrahi equalled McDonald’s time to win their heat, which is being described as the fastest ever qualifying heat at a major championship.
Grenada’s Kirani James also won his heat in a time of 44.56 seconds to advance to the semi-finals.
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