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British athletics legend Denise Lewis praised Alastair Chalmers after his Olympic debut this morning saying he gave his all during his first appearance on the track.
Chalmers came third in his mens' 400m hurdles heat, winning a place in Wednesday's semi-final.
Watching the race for the BBC, Lewis said the heats are "such a big deal" explaining that "when you're in a position like that you've got to treat it like a final, you've got to give it your all".
The former heptathlete - who won Olympic, Commonwealth, and European gold medals among others during her 20 year athletics career - is a pundit for the BBC at this years' Paris Olympics.
She saw Chalmers run in the fifth heat of the mens' 400m hurdles at 09:37(BST).
Guernsey's Alastair Chalmers throws himself over the line to qualify for the semi-finals of the men's 400m hurdles! #BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/nzgxqZs67B
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 5, 2024
He was the only British athlete in the competition - qualifying for the semi finals in 48.98 seconds, less than a second behind the heat winner, Jamaican Malik James-King, and just 0.08 seconds behind Matheus Lima of Brazil who came second.
Throwing himself over the finish line, Chalmers secured his third place finish just 0.02 seconds ahead of fourth place finisher Joshua Abuaku of Germany.
Two of the athletes in Chalmers' heat did not finish, with Ismail Doudai Abakan falling in the lane beside Chalmers, after Ming-Yang Peng of Taipei had pulled up injured earlier in the race.
Pictured: The results from Alastair Chalmers heat in the mens' 400m hurdles this morning.
Speaking live during the BBC's Olympic coverage this morning, Lewis said this - combined with Chalmers personal determination - helped secure his third place finish.
"He benefitted from the athlete that fell but you can't fault him for his commitment, his energy, and he threw himself at the line," she said.
"He was so good.
"(It's) a fantastic result for him.
"You could see what it meant to him."
Watching his race live, Lewis said it was clear to everyone how much it meant to Chalmers.
"You might only get one opportunity in your lifetime. This is the pinnacle. This is what you dream about...why they work so hard.
"At this closing stage it's maintenance of form as much as anything. You can see he's gritting, he's looking across there. He did everything.
"I don't think the dive, or the fall, was part of the plan. He literally just ran out of legs."
Alastair Chalmers will next run in the mens' 400m hurdles semi finals on Wednesday at 18:35 (BST).
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