By Steve Campbell, World-Track
BERLIN — Gold medal favourites, American LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner comfortably booked their spot in the second round of the 400 metres with victories here at the World Championships Tuesday morning.
"I am confident. I am really confident," Merritt said after his relax run.
Merritt, the Olympic champion from Beijing last summer, won his heat in an unchallenged 45.23 seconds, while Wariner, the defending champion eased through his heat with a conversation 45.54secs run with Jamaica’s Ricardo Chambers (45.57).
The fastest of the morning, however, was Bahamian NAIA champion Ramon Miller, who clocked a personal best of 45.00secs to win heat five.
Also going through easily were Trinidadian Rennie Quow (45.21), Bahamas’ Chris Brown (45.53) and Briton’s Robert Tobin (45.50) and Virgin Islands’ Tabarie Henry (45.14).
"I didn’t have to work so hard, but I didn’t execute it the way I wanted," Brown said.
"In lane 2, you have to do more work, I don’t like it that much, nor lane 7 and 8 but I’d rather have a lane than not at all. I’m taking it round by round, and trying to run smart."
