Norwood falls in 400-meter semifinals

Area track standout Vernon Norwood fell in the semifinals of the 400-meter dash today at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
Norwood, a Morgan City High alum, finished sixth at 45.07 in the first of three semifinal heats.
Kirani James, the 2012 Olympic champion, won the heat in 44.16. He, along with Luguelín Santos of the Dominican Republic, who clocked in at 44.26, also qualified for the finals in the first of three heats.
Norwood began his competition with a third place finish Sunday in the fifth of six heats to qualify for the semifinals. He ran a 45.53 in his initial action.
Forty-four athletes ran in preliminary action, and 24 advanced to the semifinals.
The field then was pared down to eight finalists, who will run Wednesday for the world title.
Norwood’s stay in Beijing is not complete, however, as he is one of six competitors who could see time as a member of Team USA’s 4x400-meter relay. Heats in the event will be run Saturday evening at 9:40 p.m., while the finals will be run Aug. 30 at 7:25 a.m.