Rio de Janeiro ? Former Kansas sprinter Kyle Clemons ran the third leg and aided his 4×400-meter relay team to a spot in the Olympic final Friday night inside Olympic Stadium. The Americans finished second overall in the qualifying heats with a time of 2:58.38 and will compete in the event final at 8:35 (CDT) Saturday.
Clemons, who competed for the Jayhawks from 2010-13, was seeing action in his first Olympic Games. The Rowlett, Texas, native received the baton for his third leg with a lead and didn’t relinquish it over his 400-meter sprint and handed off to the anchor with a 0.5-second lead over the field.
The American squad went on to finish second in the heat with a season-best time of 2:58.38 and earned an automatic spot in tonight’s final.
Still the KU school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters, Clemons has established himself as one of the top American quarter-milers since turning professional three years ago. The two-time Big 12 champion was the U.S. Indoor 400-meter champion in 2014 and twice has helped the American 4×400-meter relay to a gold medal at the 2014 and 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships.