Canada’s Reed cruises into semis

Gary Reed, of Kamloops, BC, has advanced to the semi-finals at the world track and field championships, winning his 800m heat in a time of one minute 45.76 seconds, Thursday in Berlin.

Reed took the lead with 300m remaining in the race, and held off former Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovsky of Russia, who finished second, also qualifying for the semi-finals.

Reed won a silver medal at the 2007 world championships, and finished fourth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The semi-finals take place on Friday.

Also on Thursday, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt continued his assault on the record book, establishing a new world standard in the 200m.

Bolt clocked 19.19 seconds to win the gold medal, shaving 0.11 seconds off the previous world record that he set at the Beijing Olympics.