16 Aug 2008

Willis into 1500 semi-finals

8:17 am on 16 August 2008

The New Zealand middle distance runner Nick Willis has easily qualified for the semi-finals of the 15 hundred metres at the Beijing Olympics.

Willis ran in a fast heat, finishing second in a time of three minutes 36.01 seconds.

He stayed at the back for the first couple of laps before heading to the front to stay out of trouble.

Willis says the race was quicker than he expected and he didn't plan on leading but it was just the way it worked out and he felt very comfortable in the end.

The semi-finals are on Sunday night.