Maltese athlete Charlene Attard’s participation in the IAAF World Junior Championships being held in Beijing, China was shortlived as she ended up last in Heat 5 of the women’s 200 metres yesterday.

Running in Lane 6, Attard clocked 25.41, not enough to qualify for the semis. The heat was won by US runner Gabby Mayo, clocking 23.62 seconds, followed by Ewelina Klocek of Poland, registering a personal best time of 23.69.

Both Mayo and Klocek qualified for tomorrow’s final after finising first and second respectively in their semi-final heat later in the afternoon.

In the semi-finals, Jamaica’s Anasthasia Leroy was the fastest qualifier for the women’s 200 metres with a timing of 23.57 seconds. Bulgarian sprinter Tezdzhan Naimova clocked 23.63 while Gabby Mayo (23.69) looked particularly relaxed winning her heat.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Renny Quow clocked 45.74 seconds to win the men’s 400 metres. American runner Justin Oliver claimed the silver medal with a timing of 45.78, while Britain’s Martyn Rooney placed third with 45.87.