Lakshmanan’s best time not enough

The 27-year-old clocked 13 minute 35.69 second, nearly one second better than his earlier personal best of 13:36.62, in the first round heat number one which earned him a 15th spot in a top class field, featuring defending champion Mo Farah from Great Britain. 

Overall, Lakshmanan finished 31st as top five from each of the two heats and the next fastest five from among the remaining runners qualified for the final. Lakshmanan is the only Indian so far to have performed better than his personal best. His effort was all the more impressive as the race was run under incessant rain which lashed the Olympic Stadium throughout the day, forcing a drop in the temperature to below 15 degrees Celsius.

“This is my first World Championships and I came into the race thinking of breaking the national record. I could not do that because it was a bit tight at the home stretch,” Lakshmanan said after the race.