World Athletics Championships: Aussie Stewart McSweyn charges into 5000m final in Doha

Rising star Stewart McSweyn is confident of ending 14 years of Aussie World Championship 5000m disappointment after the 24-year-old raced into title calculations with a scintillating heat run in Doha.

Stewart McSweyn has raced right into 5000m medal calculations.

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He came in as Australia’s in-form track athlete and Stewart McSweyn now looms as a possible medallist after a stunning 5000m heat run.

The King Island product has enjoyed a brilliant season in Europe and certainly looked the part mixing it with the world’s best.

McSweyn finished fourth in his heat (13min30.58sec) with the top five going through automatically into the final.

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Stewart McSweyn has raced right into 5000m medal calculations.

Australia’s last medallist in the 5000m was Craig Mottram back in 2005 in Helsinki when he shocked the world by winning the bronze medal.

McSweyn, 24, is confident about his chances given he’s raced against the leading contenders throughout the Diamond League season.

“I think there are 15 guys who could get close to a medal,” he said.

“There’s not much difference at the top end.

“I’m growing in confidence, I’ve had a good European season. I know if it’s slow I’ve got probably one of the fastest 1500s in the field, so I know if I’m there at the bell I’m going to be dangerous.

“I’m not setting a limit. You try and win every race. Obviously it’s going to be hard but I’m not going to shy away that I think I can be right up there.”

Christian Coleman looked in great form in the 100m heats.

Aussie Rohan Browning finishes sixth in his 100m heat.

Fellow Australian Morgan McDonald finished eighth in his heat in 13.26.80sec but missed qualifying for the final by just over a second.

Team captain Genevieve Gregson defied a limited preparation to run impressively in the heats of the 3000m steeplechase to reach her second consecutive world championships final.

Gregson finished fifth clocking 9min27.74sec in just her second steeplechase race for the year.

“It just feels good to be out there,” she said.

“I don’t feel like I have missed as much as I have, it doesn’t feel foreign at all.

“I just want to keep the ball rolling, it’s a big year next year and I have already got the Tokyo qualifier.”

Genevieve Gregson tries to do it all from the front in the 3000m steeplechase heats.

Morgan Mitchell’s gamble to change events has paid off with a barnstorming finish getting her through to the 800m semi-finals.

The former 400m champion made the tough decision to go up in distance last year and initially struggled to make the transition.

But a personal best at the London Diamond League meet in July secured her a spot for Doha where she delivered by finishing third in her heat, clocking 2min02.13sec

It was a different story for reigning national champion and new Australian record holder Catriona Bisset who faded badly in her heat.

Bisset revealed afterwards she’d been suffering from a stress fracture for several weeks which had badly hampered her preparation.

In the men’s 100m qualifying Sydney’s Rohan Browning found himself in a brutal heat alongside defending champion Justin Gatlin and Canada’s Andre De Grasse.

Henry Frayne was a massive disappointment in the long jump qualifiers.

Browning got off to a positive start but was overwhelmed late finishing sixth in 10.40sec behind Gatlin (10.06sec).

Gold medal favourite Christian Coleman cruised through his heat and was the only man to go under 10 seconds in qualifying, clocking an easy 9.98sec.

It was a wipe-out in the men’s long jump with all three Aussies failing to qualify for the final.

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Henry Frayne fouled his first attempt and then never got his rhythm with a best jump of 7.86m leaving him one spot outside the top 12.