ABC:No joy for Aussies in steeplechase.

Donna MacFarlane and Victoria Mitchell could not summon the times needed to progress past the heats of the women’s 3,000-metres steeplechase at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium on Friday evening.

Russia’s world record holder Gulnara Galkina-Samitova confirmed her favourite tag with a commanding run of 9 minutes, 15.17 seconds to win her heat and qualify fastest.

Mitchell, striking with her pink-died hair, could not keep up with the cracking pace of Samitova and finished well back in the field with a time of 9:47.88.

MacFarlane ran in the last heat and finished just four seconds outside qualifying, placing ninth with a time of 9:32.05.

Kenya’s Ruth Bosibori Nyangau posted the second fastest time of 9:19.75.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/15/2337277.htm?site=olympics/2008