Alberto Campbell failed to advance past the first round of the men’s T20 400m semi-final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after he finished seventh in his heat at the Olympic stadium on Monday.

Campbell, who got off to a fast start, ran 51.55 seconds, just off his season’s best 51.32 seconds and well off the top three spots that would have seen him qualify for the final, set for today.

It was a disappointment for the Australian resident, who has a personal best 49.44 seconds, as his first appearance at the Paralympics ended early; however, he has started to plan for his next international championships.

“I am honoured to represent my country of birth and grateful for the opportunity,” Campbell was quoted to have said in a release from the Jamaica Paralympics Association.

The release said it was a “bad day” on the track for Campbell, who now looks ahead with renewed hope to returning to Japan for the 2022 Kobe World Para Athletics Championships while reflecting on his own words: “I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. When I run I feel His pleasure.”

Spain’s Deliber Rodriquez Ramirez won the heat with a personal best 48.57 seconds, with France’s Charles-Antoine Kouakou second in 48.85 seconds, and Ecuador’s Anderson Colorado Mina third in a season’s best 48.89 seconds to get the automatic qualifying spots.

— Paul Reid