Russel clocked 21.13s to finish second in the seventh heat of the first round, behind the winner from Kenya, Dan Kiviasi Asamba, with 20.76s in the packed Alexander Stadium here.

This was enough for Russel to gain a spot, as the first two runners in each heat will advance to the semifinals.

However, today’s time is far from his national record of 20.77s set in the Queensland Track Classic, Australia, in 2019.

The 24-year-old athlete described his performance as ‘rusty’, considering the fact that this was his first competitive run after he last participated in a competition in Brisbane, Australia, last March.

“I got top two and the goal was to get to the semifinals at least, but obviously the time was not as good as I wanted.

“I have achieved my goals now and anything more than that will be a bonus for me. It is really cool that a Malaysian is in the semifinals,” he told reporters at the mixed zone.

The 2019 SEA Games bronze medallist hopes to run faster to better his own national record and try to reach the finals.

Meanwhile, national women’s hammer thrower Grace Wong Xiu Mei, who is also making her debut at the Games, checked into the finals with a throw of 59.53m in the Group A qualifying round earlier today.

The 2021 SEA Games champion finished the day in 12th place to clinch the last spot for the finals on Saturday (Aug 6).