KELLY HOLMES had no regrets about her decision to run the 800 metres despite crashing out in the semi-finals in sultry Seville last night.

The former Hampshire-based Army sergeant chose the two laps over the 1500 metres because her endurance work had suffered through injury, but her best simply wasn't good enough.

The strained expression on her face told it all as she summoned up every last ounce of energy and aggression but was edged out to fourth in her heat with just three to qualify automatically.

A tense wait followed for the results of heat two as she clung on in hope of being one of the two fastest losers. But it was all in vain as six athletes from heat two outstripped Holmes's time of 2.00.77.

"I'm still pleased with my decision to do the 800 metres. I'm fit and I was ready to run," she insisted.

"It was always going to be tough in the World Championships, but the look on my face when I was coming round the bend was not pain, it was aggression."

Asked whether she might be tempted into entering the 1500m after all, Holmes smiled: "It's definitely not in my thoughts, but my coach might try to persuade me."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.