Devers barely qualifies for semifinals

ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia set an Olympic record Friday night in winning the 10,000-meter run on the first night of track and field.

Bekele's time of 27:05.10 was more than four seconds ahead of fellow countryman Sileshi Sihine. Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea won the bronze.

Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia held the old Olympic record and was trying to win this event for the third straight time. He finished fifth.

American Gail Devers, meanwhile, barely qualified for Saturday's semifinals.

Devers advanced past the first two rounds of qualifying and joined fellow-Americans Lauryn Williams and LaTasha Colander among those who will compete for the medals on Saturday.

Devers, a two-time Olympic 100 champion, replaced Torri Edwards after Edwards was removed from the Olympics for a drug violation.

The top three from each second-round heat and the next four fastest made it to the semifinals and Devers failed to finish in the top three in her heat.

But her time of 11.31 was among the next four fastest.

In the first track final of the Olympics, Italy's Ivano Brugnetti won the men's 20km walk.