Olympic semi-final qualifications

[abzo]

The top two from each semi-final progress to the final regardless of their times. This makes no sense to me. In this example, the 5th place in semi-final 2 is faster than the both the 1st and 2nd places in semi-final 1 but doesn't qualify while they do.

1
JELIMO P
1:59.42Q
2
POISTOGOVA E
1:59.45Q
3
GARCIA R
2:00.16SB
4
SCHMIDT A
2:01.63
5
LUPU N
2:01.63
6
ALMANZA R
2:01.70
7
SHARP L
2:01.78
8
FILANDRA E
2:04.42

1
SEMENYA C
1:57.67QSB
2
ARZHAKOVA E
1:58.13Q
3
BUSIENEI J
1:58.26q
4
JOHNSON MONTANO A
1:58.42q
5
HACHLAF H
1:58.84SB
6
LUKA T
1:59.69SB
7
LAVRIC E
2:00.46
8
BERNARD-THOMAS N
2:00.68SB

It should be fastest qualifiers regardless of position. Why isn't it?

[efitol]

Because it's a race. The point is to beat your opponents. Maybe if it were a time trial.
And the 2 fastest losers also go through, don't they?

[abzo]

The fastest 3rd and 4th qualify too, yes.

I just find it odd that someone can win a race with a time slower than another runner and qualify instead of them.

Meh. The IOC probably know more than I do

[Garson007]

It's because you're not racing the clock, but your heat.

[Freaksta]

It's because you're not racing the clock, but your heat.

Yea, buy heats should be even, not point putting all the best people in one heat and then all the *** ones in the other, then u get like 3fast guys and 3 slow guys who have zero chance.

[Garson007]

Yea, buy heats should be even, not point putting all the best people in one heat and then all the *** ones in the other, then u get like 3fast guys and 3 slow guys who have zero chance.

Afaik they already do, do that - when possible.

[Eskimos]

The heats are seeded according to qualification times, so unless you have a dreadful qualification into the olympics, then you won't be put in the same heats as other good runners. To me this way makes much more sense because in the likes of swimming, you can literally dominate your heat but still not qualify due to time and as we all know, the competitors around the athlete also affects the athlete's time; so if you get put in a faster race you automatically have an advantage and sometimes swimmers have difficulty knowing how fast to pace themselves.

Ultimately you want to beat your opponents and not the clock, so this way is far better.

PS - I know why they do times in swimming is due to the 'special' races where they let athletes from the smaller nations compete amongst themselves but still prefer the athletics way.