British 200 metre hopeful Danny Talbot appeared at eased as he cruised through the opening round alongside compatriots Zharnel Hughes and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.Â
Talbot raised a smile from race favourtite Wayde van Niekerk as they crossed the line side by side in heat three.
“I got through and that’s what today was all about," said Talbot.
"I need to recover now and then try and do it all again."
Talbot recorded a personal best of 20.16 but insisted that his eye was on racing and not the clock.
“I’m not interested in times, it’s nice to get a PB, but for me, that’s not what it’s about,†he said.
“I felt like I was in the best shape of my life, and to get that lift from the crowd was incredible.
"I can’t wait for the next round."
Talbot will now compete in the Men’s 200m semi-finals on Wednesday at 8:55pm.Â
Mithchell-Blake automatically qualified in first position in a seventh heat that saw fancied athletes Aaron Brown and Clarence Munyai disqualified.
Hughes qualified as a fastest loser with a time of 20.43 after finishing fourth in his heat.Â
“My coach and I will work on the start. The rest is there," he said.Â
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