Alexa Efraimson easily advances to Sunday's 1500m finals at world juniors...

EUGENE--Camas HS standout Alexa Efraimson (left/photo by Paul Merca) easily advanced to Sunday's 1500 meter finals of the IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships at Historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon Friday afternoon with a comfortable fourth place finish.

Staying on the outside of lane 1 for most of the race to avoid getting boxed in, Efraimson clocked a relaxed 4:16.87.

Efraimson was always near the front to cover any moves, letting heat winner Guidaf Tsegay of Ethiopia (4:15.62) and runner-up Sheila Keter of Kenya (4:16.13) do most of the work.

Great Britain's Bobby Clay (4:16.87) finished third as Efraimson eased up over the last 100, knowing that she was one of the top four automatic qualifiers.

"I wanted to make sure that I wasn't in lane two, but at the same time, ensure I wasn't caught on the rail.

On how she feels going into Sunday's 3:55 pm finals, she said that she's ready and excited to roll with the best in the world.

At 8:45 this evening, the University of Washington's Colby Gilbert will run in the finals of the men's 5000 meters.

Comments