LONDON – Nick Symmonds will race for an Olympic medal on Thursday after advancing in the 800-meter semifinal Tuesday.
Symmonds finished third in his heat in 1 minute, 44.87 seconds, which became the fasted non-automatic time. The two top in each of three qualifying heats automatically advance.
Symmonds is the son of Jeff and Andrea Symmonds of Boise, Idaho.
Jeff Symmonds was raised in Rochester and graduated from Mayo High School in 1969.
His parents and Nick's grandparents are Dick and Dege Symmonds, who still live in Rochester.
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Nick Symmonds goes into Thursday's final with plenty of optimism.
"I’ve always proven that I get better and better through rounds," he said. "I’m a championship runner. With 48 hours to recover, I feel I’ll be ready to give it my best shot. I’m ecstatic. I feel really, really good."
In Monday's qualifier, Symmonds advanced in a time of 1:45.90.
The finals on Thursday are scheduled for 2 p.m., Rochester time. It will be televised live on nbcolympics.com or Thursday in prime time on NBC.
