THE final member of the Bahraini athletics team at the London Olympics will finally get his first taste of competitive action today, as Shawqi Jamal runs in the heats of the men's 5000m.

The 23-year-old is likely to be champing at the bit when he takes to the London Olympic Stadium track at around 12.45pm Bahrain time, having spent much of the past week watching his team-mates take the limelight.

Pitted in a 22-strong field in the first of two heats, Jamal will be looking to finish the race in or around his personal best time of 13min:06.73sec, recorded in Rio de Janeiro last year, and gain one of the automatic qualifying spots for Saturday's final.

Later this afternoon, Bahrain's Jamila Shami will be eager to make up for the disappointment of missing out on a place in the women's 1500m semi-finals, when she goes in the heats of the 800m.

The 21-year-old will line up in the third of six heats, just after 1.30pm Bahrain time and will have to run close to her personal best time of 2:01.18, recorded earlier this season, if she is to stand any chance of making tomorrow night's semi-final.

The aforementioned women's 1500m semi-finals will go to post at 9.45pm Bahrain time tonight, with Mimi Salim and the big medal hope Maryam Yusuf Jamal both involved.

Having missed out on automatic qualification spots, Salim progressed as one of the next-fastest-finishers and will take her place in race one tonight.

Long billed as providing Bahrain's greatest chance of a medal, two-time world champion at the distance Jamal, who looked impressive in the heats, will take her place in race two. With little to choose between the 24 semi-finalists, these races are tight ones to call but based on their proven capabilities there is no reason the two Bahraini representatives should not challenge for a place in Friday's final.