Poovamma fails to qualify for women's 400m finals

Glasgow, July 29 (IANS) Indian athlete Poovamma Machettira failed to qualify for the women's 400 metre final, finishing fifth in semi-final 1 of the 2014 Commonwealth Games at the Hampden Park Stadium here Monday.

Poovamma, who started in lane 8, clocked a time of 52.88 seconds, much slower than her season best of 51.73 seconds.

Had the 24-year-old replicated her season best time, she would have qualified for the finals.

Instead, England's Kelly Massey with a personal best time of 52.19 secs finished second behind Jamaica's Stephanie McPherson, who topped semis 1 with a time of 50.69.