'Eaters' Jock in fast lane

UC Irvine's Charles Jock begins his competition at the International Assn. of Athletics Federations World Track & Field Championships Friday night in Daegu, South Korea.

The two-time All-American competes in the first round of the 800 meters Friday at 8:05 p.m. Pacific Time at 66,000-seat Daegu Stadium.

Semifinals in the 800 are scheduled for Sunday at 2 a.m. and the final is set for Tuesday at 5 a.m. Korean Time is 16 hours ahead of Pacific Time.

Television coverage (live and delayed) will be provided by Universal Sports.

Jock, a graduate of Mission Bay High in San Diego, is entering his senior year at UCI. He earned a berth on the U.S. team for the World Championships following his performance in the 800 at the USA Track & Field Championships on June 26.

In the final at Hayward Field in Eugene, Jock led for the first 700 meters and held on to finish third with a school-record time of 1 minute, 44.67 seconds. The clocking broke his own school mark of 1:44.75 he set at the NCAA Championships.

Nick Symmonds of Oregon TC Elite, and a 2008 Olympian, won the race in 1:44.17 and Khadevis Robinson of Nike was second in 1:44.49 as those three comprise the American 800-meter competitors.

Jock, a two-time, Big West Conference Athlete of the Year, was runner-up by four-hundredths of a second at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on June 10.

He currently ranks 19th in the world this season. David Lekuta Rudisha from Kenya has the top time of 1:42.61 and he has recorded five of the world's top nine times in 2011. He holds the world record of 1:41.01 that he set in 2010.

"My main goal for the World Championships is to make the final," Jock said. "In order to do that, I know I will need to bring my 'A' game for the semis. If I do make the final, then it's all fun from there. I will enjoy the experience and do my best."

Jock, 21, is the youngest of the U.S. trio as Symmonds is 27 and Robinson 35.

"I definitely hope to pick their brains a bit," Jock said. "They have a lot of experience with championship racing and international competition, so I hope to learn a thing or two from spending time with them."

Jock, who breaks fast from the start of the 800, was edged at the tape by UC Santa Barbara's Ryan Martin in the Big West Conference Championships and by Virginia's Robby Andrews at the NCAA Championships.