Kiwi athlete Geordie Beamish has qualified for the 3000m steeplechase final at the world athletics championships in Tokyo, despite a dramatic tumble in his heat, when a rival stood on his face.
The 28-year-old finished second in the heat, after falling early in the final lap and mounting a stunning recovery.
Beamish ran to the lead from the back of the nine-runner field, before he fell. Just behind him, Canadian runner Jean-Simon Desgagnés couldn't avoid stepping on the fallen Beamish, before himself falling to the ground.
Beamish leapt to his feet and resumed his chase, and was quickly in sight of the leaders with 300m to go, before surging into second place, just 0.02s behind Moroccan heat winner Salaheddine Ben Yazide.
The New Zealander was none the worse for the incident, saying he just had a few scratches.
"I tried to make a responsible move to the front and not leave it until the last few steps, and ended up on the ground," he said. "I wasn't going to let a tumble put paid to a couple of years of waiting for another final."
Asked what he was thinking when he hit the ground, Beamish was succinct: "No thinking, just doing."
Beamish, who won a gold medal in the 1500m at the world athletics indoor championships last year, finished seventh in his steeplechase heat at the Paris Olympics a few months later, when he needed a top-five finish to make the final.
That was on his mind when he fell in Tokyo.
"I wasn't able to show what I felt like I was going to be capable of in Paris and I didn't want to wait another bloody two years, so yeah, I got up quick."
Beamish's time of 8m 27.23s was good enough to qualify him third fastest for the final at 12.55am NZST Tuesday.
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