Machel Cedenio was not a men’s 400 metres finalist at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, last month. He seems on course, however, to be among the eight athletes facing the starter in the IAAF World Championship one-lap race for gold here in Doha, Qatar, on October 4.

Cedenio looked to be cruising into the Pan Am final, before suffering a leg cramp during his qualifying round heat. The Trinidad and Tobago quartermiler slowed considerably to finish sixth in 46.77 seconds.

Cedenio was more than two seconds faster at the NGC NAAA National Open Championships, in late July. He stopped the clock at a season’s best 44.52 seconds to run away with gold, announcing his credentials as a World Championship medal contender.

Going into the Doha meet, Cedenio is 11th on the 2019 world performance list with the 44.52 run. Of the 47 men entered for the Doha 400, he is eighth fastest this year. Americans Michael Norman and Fred Kerley are at the top of the list at 43.45 and 43.64, respectively, while Bahamian Steven Gardiner is third fastest with a 44.14 run.