Beenamol loses in semis

Quarter-miler K M Beenamol's challenge in the women's 400 metres at the World athletics championships came to an end after she finished a poor eighth and last in the second of three semi-finals at Edmonton on Monday.

Running in lane two, the Railways athlete finished the race in 52.68 seconds.

The heat was won by Amy Mbacke Thiam of Senegal, in 50.21 seconds. Her time was the fastest of the three semi-finals and makes her a favourite for the gold medal. The Senegalese athlete smashed her own national record by more than half a second.

Calgary-based Chad runner Kaltouma Nadjina also broke her own national record to finish second in the same heat. Nadjina came from behind with a late surge to clock 50.38 seconds, the third quickest time in the event.

The second fastest time was credited to Germany's former world champion Grit Breuer, who led from the start to win heat No. 1 in 50.32 seconds from Olesya Zykina of Russia, who recorded 50.59. Cameroon's Mireille Nguimgo was third, with a late finish for a season's best time of 50.71, only three hundredths of a second outside her personal best. It was good enough to put her into Tuesday's final as a fastest loser.

The third semi-final was won by Mexico's Olympic finalist Ana Guevara, who looked comfortable while clocking 50.58 seconds. Jamaica's Olympic silver medalist Fenton Lorraine finished strongly and, like Nguimgo, came from behind in the home straight to claim a season's best 50.61 seconds, and a place in the final.

Along with the top two from each of the three heats, Falilat Ogunkoya of Nigeria, 50.50 seconds, and Mireille Nguimgo of Cameroon, 50.71 seconds, made it to the final as two fastest losers.

The second Asian in the semis, Sri Lankan K V Damayanthi Darsha finished seventh in the first heat with a season's best timing of 51.83 seconds.

On Sunday, Beenamol had clocked 52.17 seconds, her best time this year, to qualify for the semis.