Quamel PRINCE (Guyana) | Men's 800m Heat 3 Round 1 | Commonwealth Games 2022 Athletics |3rd Aug 2022

Back onto the track for the final heat of the men's 800 metres. Here's the start list and as Tim Hutchins alongside me just said, will these athletes take the opportunity and run the times that are needed to get themselves into the Commonwealth final? We know exactly what needs to be done. Web of England's won a heat, Ball of Australia, Mankur of Ghana starts on the outside in his second Commonwealth Games. A 30-year-old, 1.45 this year. Let's see his best, he has a 1.44 personal best. Andor Oban of St Vincent and the Grenadines lines up in lane number seven, just 19 years old. That personal best set this year of 1.48.31. Wycliffe Kamal of Kenya in his second Games, the reigning champion, one of the fastest men in the world this year. Looking relaxed, the Kenyan flying the flag. Nicholas Landau, the national champion of Trinidad and Tobago, joins us in lane number five. There'll be a big roar in lane number four. He was fourth at the national championships. England's Ben Patterson, the 20-year-old, asking for more noise here in Birmingham, in great form this year, 1.44.6. Maselela of Botswana, the 23-year-old, joins us in lane number three. A 1.46 runner at his best. And Karmel Prince of Guyana holds their national record indoors at 1.46.35. Lines up in lane number two. There's the current qualifiers by time, the two fastest non-automatic times. 1.48.66. Tuai of Kenya holding on to that spot and his teammate now lining up in lane number six. Starting his journey to defend his Commonwealth title, but first he's got to negotiate the collapse of Alexander Stadium. So Patterson of England, the familiar colours in lane number four. Getting already onto the shoulder of Landau of Trinidad and Tobago. See the little green cones? That's where the athletes can now cut across. And let's see then, Tim, if they're up and running in terms of speed and they're running smart. Well, I don't know if they're running smart enough. I mean, that was about 25 and a half at 200 metres. Remember the second heat, first he went through 455 and bits, second heat 51.7 and then it eased off to a much slower second lap, bit of a clash there on the outside. But I'm not sure this is quick enough, Kath, if they come into the straight with, what, 450 to run. Marsalela is controlling things for Botswana and it's okay, but it's not super quick. No, it's not. It's going to sit between those first two heats, isn't it? 54.18 at 400 metres. Let the burn-up begin. Prince of Guyana happily sitting on the shoulder, sitting into second place. The English athlete Patterson's got a little bit of work to do here, but now they're cranking it up. And the Botswana happy to hold the inside line with a couple of hundred metres to go. Patterson making his move, the English athlete, as is the Ghanaian. Amankwa looking to get in the mix, but here comes the speed of Kinyamal of Kenya. Maybe the hopes of the Kenyan nation are relying on this guy to get into the Commonwealth Final. Ben Patterson of England is having a super run. Amankwa's still trying to get there from Ghana, but Ben Patterson, at 20 years old, stops the clock at 1.48 exactly. What a season this guy is having. An amazing season. European junior silver medalist in the under 20 category in 2019, but a brilliant run from the English athlete. I'll tell you what, Britain is blessed with such an amazing array. Great strength and depth in middle distance at the moment. Ben Patterson there at 20, holding the defending champion Wycliffe Kinyamal, who we know is in great shape, down the home straight there. And both of them were flat out, foot on the floor, no quarters being given. Patterson just keeping them at bay by half a metre or so for the last 80 or 90 metres, saying, I've got the same gears as you, son. You might be five years older than me, you might be the reigning Commonwealth champion, but right now in this heat, I can match you. And that was mighty impressive. I even thought at one point Kinyamal might get caught, but Patterson goes through okay and ensures that three English athletes make it through to the final. Well, he ran smart. Look on the left of his shot there, Patterson, fourth at those British national championships, as I mentioned, just a 1.46 clocking on that occasion. But once again, the 200 metre point sorted these guys out. He got himself into a great position. Amanqua the Ghanaian on the outside was trying to charge, but he had nothing left. But he finished in third, the Ghanaian, 1.48.26. And I think that might be good enough to go through along with Anderson of Jamaica. But look at this from Ben Patterson. And you have to say that Kinyamal was having to make sure there, Tim, that he put his foot and kept it on the gas to get an automatic spot. That's what I was going to say, Kath. Yeah, that was very competitive, wasn't it, down the home straight? I mean, again, for athletes of this calibre, 1.48 is slowish running. And although it was, you know, it wasn't quick at the bailout, it was 54.1. So there were always, there was always going to be a burn up over the last 1.50 or so. I think I said just now, by the way, three English athletes made it through to the final. Of course, there are only two in this discipline. Patterson here, Ben Patterson and Jamie Webb, they're both through okay. But yeah, that was interesting. And I think, you know, if it comes down, Kath, to a tactical final, a 1.47, 1.48 race, it's anybody's race because it becomes a test of speed over the last 1.50. The guys like Kinyamal have got to make that final fast. Well, that's why as a former sprinter, middle distance races fascinate me because sometimes it's not the best person in terms of talent and times on their statistic that wins because of the nature of how they run. But you know what it was for me? The way Ben Patterson ran that was very, very mature. I was really, really impressed with his tactics. The time is irrelevant, as you say, it's not fast at 1.48, but it was the manner in which he won that heat and his tactical awareness that was impressive. And it's a warning sign, too, for the likes of Kinyamal, a very experienced racer that he cannot take for granted. He will have the speed, the power over the last 200 in a slowish final race. You know, Peter Boll, I think as well, would probably want a healthy pace, but I wonder who'll take it out. Heat number three, then Ben Patterson of England, 1.48 exactly. The Kenyan and indeed Amankwa of Ghana did get one of those two non-automatic qualifying spots. And in so doing, he denied Tuai a spot in the final. So Tim Hutchings was right. Just one Kenyan in the mix, Wycliffe Kinyamal, arguably Peter Boll the favourite perhaps, but they've got to make sure it's fast. The likes of England's Ben...