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Triple Chinese champion Yang Yaozu failed to reach the semi-finals of the men's 200-meter race in the Athens Olympic Games on Aug 24th, ten hours after he became the first Chinese qualified for the second round of the event in Olympics.

Yang, from Shanghai, finished the last in the eight-man group of Heat 2 clocking 21.03 seconds, 0.57 seconds after the heat leader Bernard Williams from the United States crossed the line.

The 23-year-old sprinter timed at a personal best 20.69 of this year to qualify for the second round, lying the thirteenth out of the 32 qualifiers.

His personal best is 20.58, achieved at the Busan Asian Games in 2002 when Yang claimed the bronze medal.

Before Yang, no Chinese had come out from the first round in the men's 200m event in Olympic Games.

Shawn Crawford of the United States was the fastest in the second round, timed at 19.95, while fellow American Justin Gatlin and Frank Fredericks from Namibia finished the second and the third with at 20.03 and 20.20 respectively.

Fredericks was the former world champion at 200m in 1993, and had collected four Olympic and four world silvers in 100m and 200m.

"I am just happy that I am still competitive," said Fredericks."I know I will have to run under 20.00 and I'll see how it goes tomorrow."

Editor: Lu Ziqing