Boise native Nick Symmonds cruised into the semifinals of the men’s 800 meters at the Beijing Olympic Games Wednesday morning, winning his preliminary heat in 1 minute, 46.01 seconds with a late surge.
Symmonds will run in Thursday’s first semifinal, where his season-best of 1:44.10 ranks third in the field. It’s the third appearance at a major international meet for the Bishop Kelly graduate. He finished sixth in his semifinal heat at the 2007 world outdoor championships and placed sixth in the final at the 2008 world indoor championships.
Symmonds won a combined seven individual Idaho State 4A Championships in cross country and track and field before beginning a brilliant career at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he won a combined seven NCAA Division III Championships in the 800 and 1,500. (Idaho Statesman)