RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – 110m hurdler Andrew Riley timed 13.46 in the third heat of the 2016 Olympic semifinals, placing fourth in his heat and tied for 11th overall, which fell short of qualifying for the eight-hurdler event final. This was Riley's second appearance at the Olympics after he made his debut in 2012 at the London Games.
After finishing third in his heat during prelims Monday night, the former Illini improved upon his 13.52 prelims time with a late push at the line that narrowly missed passing Jeff Porter (USA), who timed 13.45. Dimitri Bascou (France) timed 13.23 to win the heat, while Milan Trajovic (Cyprus) earned the heat's second automatic bid to the final with a time of 13.31.
By advancing to the semifinal round, Riley became the first former Illini Men's Track & Field athlete to advance to the semifinal round at the Olympics since 1500m runner Marko Koers did so at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Riley, who is originally from St. Thomas, Jamaica, left Illinois as one of the greatest track athletes in program history. The hurdler won four national championships and earned 12 All-America honors. In 2012, Riley made NCAA history by becoming the first male athlete to win both the 100m dash and 110m hurdles national title in the same season. Riley also tallied 12 Big Ten titles over his four-year career and set school records in five events.
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