Masalela led the race from the start only to let go of the lead towards the finish line, but he managed to hang on for the third spot. Gabriel Tual of France won the heat, stopping the clock at 1:45.13. Kethobogile Haingura found the going tough and at some point, he felt a little shove from a Spanish opponent. He finished in position seven in a time of 1:46.46. Mohamed Attaoui of Spain won the race in 1:44.81. Another athlete, Tumo Nkape finished sixth with a time of 1:46.99 on his Olympic debut. Eliott Crestan of Belgium won the race in 1:45.51. Haingura and Nkape will be back tomorrow for the repechage. The three debutants are training partners at the Sepeng Athletics Project in South Africa.
