Ath: Terrible night on the track for Australia

AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2004
Ath: Terrible night on the track for Australia

ATHENS, Aug 20 AAP - Australia had disastrous results on the opening night of track
and field at the Olympics, with every Australian knocked out in their opening heats.

Four hundred metre runners Clinton Hill and Casey Vincent had shock first round exits
when both failed to run anywhere near their best.

Tamsyn Lewis also failed to progress to the 800m semi-final when she finished fifth
in her heat and 20th overall.

Hill missed the semi-finals by an agonising one hundredth of a second with his time
of 45.89 seconds and said he struggled to get out of the blocks the second time after
a false start.

"It was just one of those days," he said.

"Just physically today, it's almost as if I had nothing in me."

Vincent, whose time of 46.09s was way off the pace, revealed he was struggling with
a knee injury and had considered pulling out of the Olympics two weeks ago.

But he was devastated to be knocked out at such an early stage.

"I'm not one to make excuses so there's nothing to say really, that's it, it's all
over," he said.

Heptathlete Kylie Wheeler was the only Australian to record a credible result tonight
when she threw a personal best in the shot put to put her in 14th place mid-way through
the event.

AAP sm/sp

KEYWORD: OLY ATH AUST DAYLEAD

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