North Chicago native Tyrone Smith failed to qualify for the Olympic long jump final after finishing 16th in the qualifying round.
Representing Bermuda, Smith jumped 7.81 meters in a best-of-three preliminary round. His season-best jump was 8.18 meters, a distance that would have automatically qualified him for the finals. He was Bermuda’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremony.
Chinese jumped Jianan Wang is in first going into Saturday’s final following a 8.24-meter jump. U.S. long jumper Jeff Henderson is in second after jumping 8.2 meters on his first attempt.
Smith, whose father is American and whose mother was born in Bermuda, finished 12th at the London Olympics and did not qualify for the finals at the Beijing Games. At 32, he has said that this will be his last Olympics.
Smith — who moved to Texas after college to train at the University of Houston — works six days a week selling cars. He goes to the track in the morning, then works his day job before training again in the evening.