June 29, 2008

Eugene, Oregon - Former Southeast Missouri State sprinter Miles Smith has advanced to the semi-finals in the Olympic Trials 400-meters. He will run in the semi-finals on Monday, 9:25 p.m., that will be televised on the USA Network.

Running in the first heat of four, Smith finished fourth and just missed the automatic qualifying spot by being edged at the finish line by professional Greg Nixon for third place. The top three in each heat qualified for the semi-finals along with the next four fastest times. Smith had one of those times being timed at 45.77.

Overall, Smith had the fourth fastest qualifying time and is in the final 16 who will run in two heats on Monday to determine the eight finalists who will run for a spot on the Olympic team during the finals on Thursday.

LaShawn Merritt, a professional running for NIKE, won Smith's heat and had the fastest overall qualifying time of 45.30.