EUGENE, Ore. – Aaron Brown of Toronto has qualified for the men’s 200-metre final after finishing second in his semifinal heat Tuesday night at the world track and field championships.

The 30-year-old Brown covered the distance in 20.10 seconds, finishing behind teenage star Erriyon Knighton of Tampa, Fla., who posted an impressive time of 19.77.

Brown’s time was the eighth fastest in the semifinal heats. Six runners finished in under 20 seconds.

Jerome Blake of Burnaby, B.C., finished third in his heat in 20.29, behind Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic (19.91) and Joseph Fahnbulleh of Liberia (19.92), but the 26-year-old Blake failed to qualify for Thursday’s final, finishing 11th overall.

Noah Lyles of Gainesville, Fla., the 2020 Olympic bronze medallist, had the fastest qualifying time in 19.62. The 18-year-old Knighton was second overall, while 2020 Olympic silver medallist Kenneth Bednarek of Tulsa, Okla., was third overall in 19.84.

Canadian Olympic 200-metre champion Andre De Grasse did not compete in the event as he hasn’t fully recovered from his second bout of COVID-19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2022.