Aug. 21, 2008

BEIJING, China - - Former UT Arlington sprinter Jared Connaughton and his Canadian sprint relay teammates finished second in their heat Thursday morning and qualified for the finals Friday at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

With Connaughton running the third leg of the 4x100 relay, Canada ran a 38.77.

That was behind sprint relay favorite Jamaica (38.31) but ahead of Germany (38.93). In the first heat, Trinidad and Tobago finished first with a 38.26, and Japan qualified for the finals with a 38.52. The United States team, which was expected to challenge for a gold medal in the event, dropped the baton and did not finish.

That sets up Friday's final with Canada running in Lane Six - with Jamaica on one side and Japan on the other.

Canada's season-best time going into the final is 38.72. That's fifth-best among the eight teams running for gold. The race is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. in Beijing, China (9:10 p.m. Central Time) and will be televised Friday night by NBC.

Connaughton has already competed this week, making the semifinals of the 200 meters.