Olympic Spoiler Alert: Former Razorback Wallace Spearmon Runs for Medal in 200m

Update (August 9, 3:05 p.m.)
Spearmon just missed winning a medal in the 200m finals this afternoon in London.

He came in fourth in a field of eight runners. All three medal winners were from Jamaica, with Usain Bolt taking the gold.

The former Razorback standout (2004-05) crossed the finish line in a season-best time of 19.90.

The race was the second career Olympic final appearance for Spearmon who also competed in the event final at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

During the rounds of the 200 meters which began Tuesday, Spearmon posted times of 20.47 in the first round and 20.02 in his semifinal heat. He entered the Olympics with a season-best time of 19.95 which he ran in March at the Bobby Lane Invitational in Arlington, Texas.

Spearmon won the national title at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July.

Update (August 9, 10:30 a.m.):
Former University of Arkansas running standout Wallace Spearmon runs in the finals of the 200m competition this afternoon.

He is one of a field of eight that includes Jamiaca's Usain Bolt, the Olympic record holder of the event.

Spearmon, who finished third in the 200-meter race in 2008's Bejing Olympics, was later disqualified for stepping out of his lane.

Today's race is at 2:55 p.m.

Update (August 8):
Spearmon has qualified for the finals of the 200m competition.

He will run for a medal on Thursday.

Original Story (August 7):
Former Hog Wallace Spearmon was on the track in London today for Round 1 of the 200m competition.

He came in second in heat 6 of the qualifying races with a time of 20.47 seconds. The performance puts him one race closer to the medal race.

Spearmon runs again tomorrow afternoon at 2:10 in the semifinals. If he qualifies there, he will run for a medal in the 200m finals.

Spearmon punched his ticket to London by winning the 200m at the U.S Olympic Trials. He overcame a slow start to take the race in 19.82 seconds.

Spearmon earned all-state honors in the 100m, 200m, and 400m, as well as the long, triple and high jumps while at Fayetteville High School before heading to the University of Arkansas, where he captured the 2004 NCAA outdoor 200m title.

Current Razorback student-athlete Marek Niit also ran in the first round of the 200 meters but did not qualify for the next round.

Niit clocked a season-best time of 20.82 to finish sixth in heat five and 38th overall. He will not move on to the semifinal. In his first appearance at the Olympics, Niit qualified to compete in both the 100 meter and 200 meters for his native Estonia.

In addition to the semifinal of the 200 meters for Spearmon, Wednesday's action will also feature another pair of former Razorbacks in Alistair Cragg and Jeremy Scott. Cragg, in his third Olympic appearance, will be running in the first round of the 5,000 meters and Scott will compete in the qualifying round of the pole vault.