There was further disappointment for Irish athletics this morning as Ireland's David Gillick failed to qualify for the 400m semi-finals after finishing fourth in Heat seven at the Bird's Nest stadium, while Eileen O'Keeffe missed out on qualification for the women's Hammer final.
Gillick, 25, who is based in Loughborough, was one of the Ireland's few genuine hopes of a final appearance in the track and field events.
The Ballinteer runner's time of 45.83 seconds was well off his best and not enough to qualify for one the three fastest loser positions after the final Heat was won by Texan Jeremy Wariner in 45.23.
Tabarie Henry set a new national record for the Virgin Islands in second, while Belgian Cedric van Branteghem was third.
Gillick easily beat the latter in competition already this year but he appeared to tie up a little coming round the bend and there was nothing left in the tank when he needed it.
"I was down in the final straight and I just ran out steam," a clearly frustrated Gillick told RTE television afterwards. "I'm very gutted, very disappointed. I don't know. That's that."
Heat two was the quickest of the seven with Christopher Brown winning narrowly in a time of 44.79. Australia's Joel Milburn was 0.01 behind him and the same margin ahead of Sweden's Johann Wissman.
The semi-finals will be staged tomorrow.
O'Keeffe failed to reach the required distance in three attempts. The Kilkenny woman threw 67.66 metres with her third effort but it was just over one metre short of what was needed.
O'Keeffe was sixth in the World Championships in Osaka last year with a throw of 70.93 but a knee injury hampered her preparation for the Games.
"I suppose it was always going to be difficult, getting a ruptured cartilage three weeks before the most important competition of life," said O'Keeffe.
"It was hard to get the type of training I wanted to get in, in the fundamental three weeks that were left. A lot of my speed work, I suppose, I didn't get in and I was throwing a lot slower as a result of the injury, so that's the way it goes. These things happen."
