Martyn Rooney has said that he was beaten to the podium by "better" runners in the men's 400m final at the Commonwealth Games tonight.
The Team England sprinter qualified as the second fastest in yesterday's semi-final but was outclassed by Grenada's Kirani James - who set a Games record on his way to gold - South Africa's Wayde Van Niekerk and Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking to Sports Mole afterwards, Rooney admitted: "I had a rubbish race. Well, not a rubbish race. I just ran very fast and what I thought would medal, but I came fourth anyway. The other guys did very well. I can't take anything away from that."
Rooney previously managed a fifth-place finish at the 2006 Games in Melbourne and suggested that he had been aiming for bronze going into this race.
"My whole [tactic] was to just ignore the other two guys (Kirani and Niekerk) because I knew I'm not going to win any races against them down the back strait," he added. "They both run 20-point-whatever. [It was] tough to just kind of do my own thing, stay as relaxed as possible and execute the race to my ability. I don't know if I wasn't quick enough around the bend. I don't think I wasn't, I just think they were better than me at the end of the day."
Rooney will go on to compete in the men's 4x400m relay in Glasgow on Friday.
Barney Corkhill
