Breisch, Uljas Compete at World Championships

HELSINKI, Finland ? The IAAF World Track and Field Championships continued Sunday with a pair of Nebraska athletes bowing out of competition during event qualifying rounds. Becky Breisch and Egle Uljas were eliminated from the women’s discus and 400-meter dash events, respectively.

Breisch finished 18th overall during discus qualifying with a throw of 57.16 meters on her second attempt, which was also her lone legal mark. The 2005 United States champion recorded fouls on her first and third tries to finish 10th in her 11-athlete flight. Breisch’s mark was more than six meters short of the personal-best 63.53 that she notched at the Nebraska Invitational back in May.

Uljas, competing for Estonia, ran a season-best time of 52.94 during women’s 400-meter qualifying to finish seventh in the first of six heats and 32nd overall out of 46 athletes. Sunday marked her second world championship competition, as she reached the 400-meter semifinals last summer at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Uljas, who recently concluded her freshman season at NU, competed primarily in the 800 meters as a Husker last spring.

The World Championships continue through Aug. 14 with two current and one former Husker still to compete. Former NU NCAA champion Ineta Radevica (Latvia) will compete in the women’s long jump qualifying round on Tueday, Aug. 9, while Priscilla Lopes will represent Canada in the qualifying round of the women’s 100-meter hurdles on the same day. Dmitrijs Milkevics (Latvia) will participate in the men’s 800-meter qualifying round on Thursday, Aug. 11.