Former World Indoor champion Jereem Richards advanced to the semis of the 400-metre event at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland today when he finished a close second in the first of six heats.

Running out of lane six, Richards was in cruise control for most of the race before just being pipped on the line by Brazil's Matheus Lima, who won the heat in 46.09 seconds. Richards was timed at 46.10s to land an automatic qualifying spot alongside the Brazilian.

As the athletes approached the 200-metre mark, the 32-year-old Richards just surged ahead of the four-man field, as he, Lima, and Portugal's Ericsson Tavares jostled for position. Richards had a glance over his shoulder in the final stages, with Lima closing strong to clinch the heat. Tavares placed third in 46.41s and moves on to the semifinals as the fastest non-automatic qualifier.

The semifinals will speed off today from 3.44 pm (TT time).

Trinidad and Tobago will see more representation in today's morning session when Nathan Cumberbatch lines up in heat four of the men's 800m event from 8.42 am (TT time).