Martyn Rooney breezes into 400m semi-final in Barcelona

MARTYN Rooney has qualified for the 400 metres semi-finals at the European championships in Barcelona after a solid performance in his heat on Tuesday morning.

The Croydon Harrier came second in the race with a time of 45.72 seconds, putting him third fastest in qualification behind Great Britain team-mate Michael Bingham (45.49) and the Belgian Kevin Borlee (45.71).

Rooney's time compared favourably with that of Frenchman Leslie Djhone, one of his main rivals for a medal, who qualified for Wednesday evening's semi-final in 45.79.

His Harriers' club-mate James Dasaolu goes in the 100-metre heats on Tuesday evening.

Check www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk to find out how Rooney gets on in his semi-final on Wednesday.