Ethiopian athlete Ermias Girma qualified for the semi-finals of the 1500-meter race at the Olympic Games with an incredible performance, finishing first with a time of 3:35.21 in the opening heat of the men’s 1500m. The 19-year-old runner will be on a quest for his first major medal at Paris 2024. Another Ethiopian, Samuel Tefera, also qualified for the 1500m semi-finals, finishing in 6th place in the second heat. Meanwhile, compatriot Abdisa Faysa fell from the front of the pack, finishing 14th in the first heat, leaving his semi-final hopes in the balance of the repechage race on Saturday. Kenyan Tokyo silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot also qualified by finishing 5th.

Alongside Norway’s reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Great Britain’s Josh Kerr, who earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Norvegian Narve Gilje Nordas, Moroccan Anass Essayi, American Yared Nuguse, and German Robert Farken also secured automatic qualification following the first heat.

The semi-finals are set for 1910 GMT on Sunday, with the final scheduled for Tuesday (1850 GMT).