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Eight milliseconds — eight-thousandths of a second — separated Sayville’s Christopher Belcher today from reaching the semi-finals of the 100-meter race at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Running in lane eight — in the first of the competition’s six heats — Belcher’s 10.230 finish was just barely behind Great Britain sprinter Ojie Edoburun’s 10.222. Edoburun’s time was good enough to snag the final qualifying slot in the semi-finals.
No other two competitors in any of the heats finished closer together.
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Belcher, who also competes on the 4×100 relay team for the U.S., has his heart set on competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo — now less than a year away. He has been sponsored by Nike since placing in the 100-meter dash at the NCAA championships in 2017.
During his Sayville days, Belcher was a state champion in the 100-meter dash and a star running back and kick returner on the high school football team. He lives in North Carolina and still has family living in Sayville.