Thomas Disappointed As He Makes World Champs Steeplechase Exit

Ieuan Thomas insisted there were no excuses after his World Championship bow ended at the first hurdle in London.

The Cardiff AAC runner finished 15th in his heat of the 3,000m steeplechase clocking eight minutes 52.96secs.

Thomas said he had damaged a quad slightly after hitting a barrier two weeks ago but said that was not a factor in his display.

The 28-year-old said: “I’m pretty disappointed. I came in feeling pretty confident and knowing I was in shape to run in the 8:20s.

“It’s been a tough two weeks – I went for the automatic time two weeks ago and hit a barrier, tore my quad a little bit.

“It’s been a bit of a fight over the last two weeks but I felt completely 100 per cent coming in. There were no excuses there; I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t feel capable.”

Thomas, whose personal best is 8:33.59, added: “It’s my first major championships, there were no real nerves coming in, there was excitement on the line, the crowd were amazing.

“I took that in in the first two laps and felt incredible, then when the pace started picking up a little bit I noticed a few laps ticking off that weren’t as quick as I thought they felt.

“People started going past me and I started trying to react and I felt I was fighting more than I should have been.

“I was pushing as hard as I possibly could and I was going nowhere, then you end up fighting against your own biomechanics.

“There are a few positives and a lot to work on, but I wanted to come here and prove I deserved my place on the team and I’m just disappointed not to go out there and perform like I know I should have.”