Zoey Clark cruises to semi-final; Laura Muir's destiny awaits

Aberdeen's Zoey Clark made an impressive start to her debut major individual championships as she confidently qualified for the semi-finals of the women's 400m.

Zoey Clark finished third in her heat. Picture: PA.

The 22-year-old British champion was third and claimed an automatic 
qualifying spot after finishing third in the fifth of six heats.

“It’s a bit difficult to prepare for that – it’s so amazing; such a good atmosphere. I just had to enjoy it rather than let it intimidate me,” said Clark, pictured. “I didn’t want to change my gameplan too much – go out fast for the first bit, stay nice and relaxed and make sure I have enough left in the home straight to give a bit of a kick.”

Guy Learmonth failed in his bid to reach the 800m final as he finished fifth in his 
semi-final. The 25-year-old Lasswade AC runner, who claimed his spot on the British team by clocking the qualifying time at the same stadium in the Anniversary Games after finishing second at the trials, had run well in his heat to reach this stage.

He attempted a move from the back on the final bend but didn’t have the legs to get into the top four and give himself a chance of reaching the final. The big Scottish interest tonight sees Laura Muir going in the 1,500m to finish the evening’s action at 9.50pm.

Muir faces a tough race in her bid for a first major outdoor medal against Kenya’s Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, to whom the Scot finished second in Saturday’s semi-final, Holland’s Sifan Hassan, who has run the three fastest times in the world this year, and Ethiopia’s world record holder Genzebe Dibaba, who just edged through as a fastest loser.