BEIJING -- On the first morning of action at the IAAF World Championships on Saturday, 11 U.S. athletes advanced out of their opening rounds, while heptathlete Erica Bougard sits in the top 10 through the first two events in the women’s heptathlon. Action continues at the IAAF World Championships through Sunday, August 30.

Men’s Marathon

The start of the men’s marathon saw a large lead pack over the first 10 km. Ian Burrell (Colorado Springs, Colorado) was consistent in his pace through to the half marathon mark, crossing in 1:21:35. He continued to work his way up through the pack but struggled over the final 15 km, racing at nearly three minutes above his opening average pace. Burrell finishing in 2:23:16 as the top American in 25th. Scott Smith (Laguna Niguel, California) stayed with Burrell through the majority of the race, never straying from more than five places behind his teammate. Smith recovered from a slower split over the last 10 km to finish 28th in 2:24:52. Jeff Eggleston (Greece, New York) made a move after 10 km to surge towards the front of the lead pack, jumping from 28th to 7th. The surge was short lived, however, as he dropped back to 24th after 20 km. Eggleston continued to drop back as the race continued and he was unable to finish with less than 10 km remaining.

Women’s Heptathlon

Erica Bougard (Byhalia, Mississippi) ran the ninth-fastest 100H time of her career in 13.28, scoring 1,083 points in the opening event. Sharon Day-Monroe (Costa Mesa, California) turned in the second-fastest time in her career with a time of 13.42, good for 1,062 points. Barbara Nwaba (Los Angeles, California) fell over the fourth hurdle and did not finish. In the women’s high jump, Bougard cleared 1.83m/6-0, equaling her fourth-best jump ever, but Nwaba and Day-Monroe had subpar high jumps, clearing 1.77m/5-9.75. After the morning session, Bougard sits in 8th, while Day-Monroe and Nwaba are 21st and 33rd overall.

Men’s Hammer - Qualifying

Conor McCullough (Los Angeles, California) was agonizingly close to qualifying for the final with his third-round 74.31m/243-9 to place eighth in Group B and 13th overall. Kibwé Johnson (San Francisco, California) was seventh in Group A with a best of 73.75m/241-11 to place 16th overall, while A.G. Kruger’s (Sheldon, Iowa) 71.56m/234-9 put him 12th in Group A and 24th overall.

Women’s Shot Put - Qualifying

Michelle Carter (Ovilla, Texas) was a one-and-done in her flight of qualifying, throwing well above the needed mark of 18.30m/60-0.5. Carter tossed 19.22m/63-0.75 on her opening throw to qualifying Saturday’s final at 8:05 p.m. local time. She will be joined in the final by Jeneva Stevens (Dolton, Illinois), whose 18.05m/59-2.75 in round three was one of the top 12 marks from the qualifying groups. Tia Brooks (Grand Rapids, Michigan) did not advance after throwing a best of 17.71m/58-1.25 in the first round on her only legal attempt.

Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase - Round 1

For the first time in World Championships history, Team USA will have three men in the 3,000m steeplechase final. Evan Jager (Algonquin, Illinois) ran a conservative race, always in contention without expending too much energy. Coming to the final water jump he was in fifth place, with the top three finishers guaranteed a spot in the final. Jager sprinted over the final 50m to ensure his berth, finishing second in 8:41.51 as he overtook Matt Hughes of Canada and France’s Yoann Kowal in the last 10m. In the second heat, Donn Cabral (Glastonbury, Connecticut) also ran near the front in a much quicker pace than Jager’s race. He was third with one lap to go but was passed by two men over the next 200m and had to come back over the final 100m to secure the final automatic qualifying place, taking third in 8:27.33. The final heat was the fastest of all and Daniel Huling (North Kingstown, Rhode Island) had the lead with 700m to go. He maintained that lead until there was a half-lap remaining, where he yielded to a fast-closing pack of four men, but held on to grab a time qualifier with his 8:25.34 in fifth.

Women’s 1500m - Round 1

All four U.S. women qualified for the semifinal in the 1500, two automatically and two by time. A slowish early pace kept the pack together in the first heat, with Shannon Rowbury (San Francisco, California) and Lauren Johnson (Huntington, Indiana) settling into position for the first two laps. Rowbury gradually moved up over the next circuit and was in the top three with one to go, while Johnson was in sixth. A blanket finish saw nine women finish in the space of a second and Rowbury held on to take fourth in 4:05.66. Johnson was seventh in 4:05.79 and moved on to the next round as a time qualifier. 2011 World Champion Jenny Simpson (Oviedo, Florida) was in heat two, and was safely in second over the very slow first lap. After Russia’s Tomashova broke away from the pack to establish a large lead over the next 800m, Simpson was in fifth. Tomashova was reeled in over the final 200m and Simpson almost caught her, placing fifth in 4:10.79 to automatically advance. Kerri Gallagher (Queens, New York) started out the third heat in fifth place after the first 400m and was eighth at 800m, still safely in contention. Heading into the bell Gallagher was at the back of the pack and had to make a strong move with 300m to go. She moved past three women to finish seventh in 4:06.34 and nabbed a spot in the semifinal based on time.

Men’s 800m - Round 1

Leading heat one through 400m in 54.70, Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Connecticut) held the lead until the 600m mark, where he was jostled and tripped. Loxsom recovered his composure and charged hard over the final 100 to place sixth in 1:48.97, but did not advance to the next round. Running his 20th 800 of the year, Clayton Murphy (New Paris, Ohio) was second at 400m in just over 54 seconds in heat two. He fought for position over the next 200m and on the run in he had to swing wide right to secure one of the automatic qualifying spots with a 1:48.08 in third. The third American to run, Erik Sowinski (Waukesha, Wisconsin) was in very good position through 400m in the third heat in 53 seconds, just on the shoulder of the leader. He moved to the front at 600m and was in good position for a top-three finish until the final 30m, where he yielded to the Colombian runner and took fourth in 1:46.63. His time held up over the next three heats to earn him a place in the semifinal.

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