Bershawn Jackson in impressive form at World Indoors

From David Jordan, Sportsbeat, in Doha

 AMERICAN Bershawn Jackson glided through to the semi finals of the 400m at the World Indoor Athletics Championships but it was compatriot Jamaal Torrance who set the pace in Doha.

EASY DOES IT: Bershawn Jackson barely breaks a sweat as he cruises home in the men's 400m heats and into the semis (Getty Images)

Jackson, the 2005 world 400m hurdles champion cruised through his heat in 46.87 seconds, 0.17 slower than Torrance, but he was in dominant form nonetheless in the Persian Gulf.

The American champion has the fastest season's best across the field of 45.41 and in the absence of compatriot Torrin Lawrence, who has clocked 45.03 this year, Jackson is the hot favourite for gold.

Torrance, however, clocked the fastest time in qualifying, crossing the line in 46.70 as he was joined in the tonight's semi finals by Edino Steele of Jamaica.

Meanwhile, Ireland's David Gillick, bidding to add world gold to his two European indoor titles, was also in impressive form and was pushed into posting a quick time of 46.72 in qualifying by Jamaica's Ricardo Chambers and the fast finishing William Collazo of Cuba.  

Great Britain's Richard Buck crept through to the semi finals, finishing third behind Jackson and Nerv Brenes of Costa Rica in 47.02 - good enough to clinch one of the two fastest loser spots.

"I really thought then that I could pull Jackson back in before the finish but he is a world-class athlete and he was clearly holding something back in the tank," said Buck.

"In the end I was the one who ran out of gas a little and didn't have as much left as I hoped."

But there was no such luck for compatriot Dale Garland who could only muster 48.26 in his heat, only good enough for fourth, ensuring the 29-year-old will be forced to turn his attentions to the relay.

"I'm not sure what happened, but my time was just really, really slow and I just don't know why," admitted Garland.

In the women's 400m heats, the USA's Debbie Dunn lived up to her favourites billing and cruised through to tonight's semi finals with the fastest time of the five heats.

Dunn, a member of the gold medal winning 4x400m relay team at last year's World Championships, eased home to take victory in the opening heat in 52.24 seconds, ahead of Christine Amertil of the Bahamas.

"My plan was to get out and control the race," said the 31-year-old. "The main point of the day is tonight's semi-finals."

It was notably down on Dunn's season's best of 50.86, set at the US Trials last month, but was more than enough to book her place in the semis, while compatriot Deedee Trotter overcame a scare to also advance.

Trotter, an Olympic gold medallist, having been part of the victorious 4x400m relay team in Athens 2004, eased down in the closing stages of her heat, crossing the line in 52.75 - good enough for second as the Czech Republic's Denisa Rosolova was awarded first place in the same time.

"I would have pushed a little bit more if I had known they were so close but I got through and that's the main thing," said Trotter.

Others to advance include Russia's Tatyana Firova, the second fastest woman in the world this year as well as Jamaica's Novlene Williams-Mills, who finished fourth at the World Championships in Berlin last summer.

Live text commentary from day one of the 2010 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha