‘Mixed emotions’ after Dawkins’ PB

‘Mixed emotions’ after Dawkins’ PB

Dawkins, who became the Island’s first track athlete to compete at a Commonwealth Games since Mike Guégan in 1994, finished sixth in his 400m heat with a new personal best of 47.23 sec, but missed out on a place in the semi-finals by just 0.26 seconds.

The Caesarean claimed 26th overall on his Games debut, with the top 24 athletes progressing to the next stage.

Guernsey’s Cameron Chalmers did make the cut – qualifying as a ‘fastest loser’ after clocking 46.16s to take third in the same heat as Dawkins.

‘I have mixed emotions,’ said Dawkins. ‘I’m over the moon with a personal best so early on in the season but I can’t help but be gutted to miss out [on the semi-finals] by two places.

‘But I’m sure once that settles I will see how far I have come, as in May 2017 I couldn’t even break 50-seconds – April 2018 I’ve run 47.23!’

Discussing the experience of his first full-international appearance, the 24-year-old added: ‘The main thing has been to spend as little time in the sun as possible, as it was pretty hot.

‘The atmosphere was great, it was amazing to see the crowd. I did a run out and as soon as I turned around I saw a Jersey flag in the crowd, which was amazing.

‘It is an amazing result. I’ve come a long way, and I’ve still got the whole season ahead of me. That 46s is coming.’

Dawkins – a one-lap specialist – is back on track on Tuesday for the 200m heats, three hours after Elliott Dorey begins his campaign in the men’s 800m.

Discus thrower Zane Duquemin has to wait until Thursday to make his third Games appearance, when he will be aiming to reach a third consecutive final since 2010.

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