Handily placed in third and within sight of a qualifying place in the final of the Pan-Am Games 800 metres, Tamika Williams lacked the final burst of speed to see her through last night.

The Bermudian needed to finish in the top two in her heat to make the final at the Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo but fell away when it mattered most to finish fifth out of six.

Though she found a second wind to power over the line, closing down on those in front in the final metres, Williams had left her challenge too late and her time of 2:06.16 was not enough to guarantee her a spot.

The heat, the third of three held more than an hour after its scheduled start time, was won by Luciana Mendes of Brazil in 2:04.28, with the second automatic qualifying spot going to Sheena Gooding of Barbados in 2:04.77.

"I thought I had it (at the bell), I was convinced I had it," said a disappointed Williams as she caught her breath. "Maybe I used up a little too much energy at that point, or the other girls might have been saving theirs.

"But even at the end I gained some distance. But I should have stayed with them."

Starting in lane three, Williams found herself in fifth when they broke and soon after sixth. But she moved to the outside, found some room to get by, and by the bell, which the leader passed in 59.35 seconds, she was in third and looking strong.

"It was a perfect pace for me to run," said the Nike Farm athlete, who was cheered on by team-mate and 1500 metre runner Ashley Couper as well as her parents. "I was a little slow over the first 100 metres but then picked it up and coming into the quarter I felt really good. I was saying to myself 'you've got to make it hurt, you've got to push it.' "I tried but after, I guess, 600 metres I just didn't have the speed. That has been my strong point, but, I don't know, it's just one of those days. I have no complaints."

Meanwhile, "stargazing" cost Xavier James a place in the semi-finals of the 100 metres at the Pan-Am Games yesterday. The Bermudian sprinter trailed in last in the first heat of the day at the Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo and must now concentrate on putting in a better performance in the 200 metres later in the week.

In a race won in electrifying fashion by Mickey Grimes of the USA in 10.08 and held in the heat of the morning, James crossed the line in 10.83.

That time was well outside his best this season of 10.70 and he was understandably disappointed afterwards.

"I did not run a good race - that's not what I have been practising. I've been practising better than than I raced today," he said.

"In my last 40 metres I didn't worry about my race, I was looking at everybody else. I should have just gone, I should have run a lot faster. Halfway through I was just stargazing."

James, who admitted he was coming to the end of a bad year, said he had expected to have at least still have been in the hunt by the end of the day.

"I thought I'd at least make the second round of the 100 if I had have ran my race," he said. "But the 200 is next and I'm going to focus on that and make sure I do a lot better."

Grimes' time was a personal best and was streets ahead of second placed qualifier from the 29 entrants, Sheldon Morant of Jamaica.

Morant clocked 10.30, while team-mate Michael Frater was third overall in 10.34.