Cas Loxsom of the Brooks Beasts fails to advance in first round of 800 meters...
BEIJING, China—Cas Loxsom of the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts (left/photo by Paul Merca) failed to advance to the second round of the men’s 800 meters Saturday morning at the opening session of the IAAF World Track & Field Championships at the Bird’s Nest Stadium.
Loxsom was near the front of the pack in the first of six heats, and led the field through the first 400 meters in 54.70.
However, he was jostled as the field approached the 600 meter mark, as Ali Al-Deraan of Saudi Arabia squeezed past Loxsom on the rail, causing the Penn State grad to lose his balance momentarily , and that was enough for the field to move past him.
Nijel Amos of Botswana won the heat in 1:47.23, as Loxsom finished sixth in 1:48.97.
In the mixed zone afterwards, a disappointed Loxsom said, “It’s just disappointing. I’m hoping Clayton (Murphy) and Erik (Sowinski) can come out and do something good here. That’s certainly not the shape I’m in. I was pretty ready for this. I don’t really know what happened. It’s just a bummer. I’m a little embarrassed and just frustrated.”
In the mixed zone afterwards, a disappointed Loxsom said, “It’s just disappointing. I’m hoping Clayton (Murphy) and Erik (Sowinski) can come out and do something good here. That’s certainly not the shape I’m in. I was pretty ready for this. I don’t really know what happened. It’s just a bummer. I’m a little embarrassed and just frustrated.”
“I wanted to be back hunting a little bit. I think I panicked a little bit when I found myself at the front. No one was going to take it. Usually, I’m pretty good. I tried to stay it outside on lane 2 and kind of let them take it on the inside and no one was going to bite. Honestly I should have just trusted my kick and trusted my strength and the fitness I was in and just let it be slow. I think I wasted a little too much energy trying to pick up a race that was only going through in 53 anyway. So I think from 300 to 600 I kind of pressed a little bit. I’m obviously not going to put time on those guys, so I think the rest of the field to get their legs under them and be ready to kick.”
Later on this evening, University of Washington alum Brad Walker, the 2007 world champion, competes in the qualifying round of the men’s pole vault.
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