Qatar's Ogunode Sets National Record to Enter 200m Final

Beijing, August 26 (QNA) - Qatari sprinter Femi Ogunode set a national record of 20.05 seconds to clinch the first of two non-automatic qualifying spots in the second heat of men's 200 meters race won by USA's Justin Gatlin (19.87 secs) at the IAAF World Championships here Wednesday. Panama's Alonso Edward came second in 20.02 seconds. World youth champion Abdul Hakim Sani Brown clocked a solid 20.47 for fifth place, beating athletes up to 12 years older than him. Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes (20.14) and Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade (20.19) qualified from heat 1 while Usain Bolt (19.95), South African Anaso Jobodwana (20.01) and Turkey's Ramil Guliyev (20.10) qualified from heat 3. Drawn in lane seven in the third and last semi-final, Bolt was already in the lead by the time he entered the home straight. He visibly eased off with half of the straight left to run, but the rest of the field were still unable to catch him. The 100m champion crossed the line in a season' best of 19.95, the first time he has run faster than 20 seconds in a global championships semi-final. The 200m final will be held tomorrow (Thursday) with the three semi-final winners Gatlin, Hughes and Bolt drawn in lanes four, five and six respectively. (QNA)