Former UNC track star Kenny Selmon fell short of advancing to the finals for the 400-meter hurdles event on Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics.

Selmon, who was a four-time All-American while at UNC, placed second in his Thursday heat to qualify for the semifinal. He posted the fourth-fastest time in his semifinal run against seven other hurdlers, but the American’s 48.58 seconds ultimately was the tenth-fastest time in the semifinal round of the event.

The Olympic model takes the fastest two times in each of the three semifinal races, as well as the two fastest remaining times from the field to compile the finalist group.

David Kendziera, a volunteer assistant for the UNC Track and Field program, also raced in the 400-meter hurdles event for the United States. After automatically qualifying for the semifinal in his heat, Kendziera placed third among the runners in his semifinal event on Sunday. He also fell short of making the final, though, after posting the twelfth-fastest time of 48.67 seconds.

While running at Carolina from 2014 through 2018, Selmon earned three individual ACC Championships. During the 2017 NCAA Finals, he broke a 22-year-old school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a 48.60 second run. Selmon also won the 400-meter world title while competing at the 2018 Athletics World Cup in London.

The men’s 400-meter hurdle final race for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held at 11:20 p.m. EST on Tuesday, August 3.

Photo via Carolina Athletics.


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