Hammer thrower Michael Mai finishes twelfth in his qualifying group at world championships...

DAEGU, Korea--Hammer thrower Michael Mai (left/photo by Paul Merca), who until a few months ago was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, finished twelfth in Group B qualifying Saturday night as day one of the IAAF World Track & Field Championships concluded on a pleasant evening at Daegu Stadium.

On his three attempts, Mai threw 224-3 (68.35m), fouled on his second attempt, and had his best throw of 229-6 (69.96m) in the final round

After the completion of his throws, Mai said, "I did a lot of good things, but I didn't put it together on any one throw, so I'm obviously disappointed in the result. When I had the good technique, I just wasn't moving fast enough."

Describing his second round foul, which he felt was his best throw, he said, "It was my best throw speed wise, but I just got a little excited on the last turn, and pulled it a little bit into the net."

Mai, who is now based in the Bay Area (Mountain View, CA) and is training full time under the Army World Class Athlete Program, instead of juggling his military duties and training, said of his new situation, "It's really great. I'm able to focus on my training, and I can work with my coach. I can get the reps I need to hone in on my technique and get ready for next year"

Sunday, former University of Washington standout Ingvill Måkestad from Norway will run in the first round of the women's 1500 meter run.

Complete day 1 results from the IAAF World Track & Field Championships are available here.