Aug. 28, 2007

OSAKA, Japan - Former TCU sprinter Lewis Banda was in competition on Tuesday at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Banda, a three-time All-America selection, ran 45.47 in the second heat of the men's 400 meters to place fifth in his heat, but failed to qualify for Wednesday's semifinal.

At TCU, Banda earned three All-America honors at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He placed fourth in the men's 400 meters and anchored both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay squads. Banda holds the school record in the indoor 400 meters.

Fifth Journal
Today was my last day to compete at the World Championships. I was in a good heat and I had every reason to do well, but things did not go how I planned for them to go. I still ran a season best time, but it was not enough for me to advance to the next round. In my race, I had Jeremy Wariner, Avard Moncur and David Gillick. I ended up getting fifth in my heat and did not advance to the next round. I still have a couple of meets left before my season is over and hopefully by then I will have run as fast as I have wanted to this whole season. It would not count for much, but at least I would then know what I'm capable of.

Virgil Hodge will begin competition at the World Championships tomorrow.