Jack Green admitted he was 'absolutely gutted' after missing out on a place in the final of the 400m hurdles for the second straight Olympics in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Despite having to come from behind as he so often does, the 24-year-old Hythe ace was in contention for a shot at qualification for the final going round the final bend.

However the Maidstone-born star stuttered in his approach to the eighth hurdle which he subsequently hit, robbing him of momentum, eventually finishing in a time of 49.45secs.

Green fell at the third hurdle in the semis at London 2012 and looked nearly as distraught in Rio, later tweeting: "Harsh world of sport - miss a stride into hurdle eight and ruin an Olympic dream. Absolutely gutted but will give it my all if selected for the relay."

The opening round of the 4x400m relay - in which Green helped GB claim fourth in London and bronze at the European Championships last month - is late on Friday night.

There was slightly better news for Dina Asher-Smith who sneaked into the 200m final as the eighth fastest qualifier despite clocking a disappointing time in her semi-final, which came after a blistering start in a star-studded field.

After being reeled-in and overtaken by Dafne Schippers, Elaine Thompson and Deajah Stevens in the second half of her race and eventually finishing fourth in a time of 22.49secs the 19-year-old Blackheath & Bromley AC ace, from Orpington, had to wait for the final two semis to pass without any third-placed finishers beating her mark.

She eventually reached the final by just one-hundredth of a second ahead of semi two finisher Ella Nelson of Australia.

Asher-Smith said: "That was a hard one. It was definitely hard. When you’ve got the world gold and silver medallists, it’s always going to be a fast race.

“I was a bit disappointed in the way that I ran because I know I’m in better shape that that so it’s frustrating to have messed up in such an important race and such a crucial one but at the same time, it’s something that happens.

“We’re in elite sport and not everything goes your way on the day. When I was on the straight I got into the wrong position and then you end up running back side and you end up slowing down which is what happened.

“It is disappointing, especially because I know my coach and I have worked hard to make sure that I can run better than that and I know that I can.

“I was so focused on trying to execute my race that I wasn’t really taking it in. I went in to it as if it was another world final or another European final and not necessarily focusing on the Olympic part.”

The final - which features hot favourites Schippers of the Netherlands, Torie Bowie of the USA and Jamaican Thompson, is set for 2.30am on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

Immediately before that race around 2.08am Adam Gemili is set to run in the semi-finals of the men's 200m facing Usain Bolt of Jamaica, seeking a place in the final in the early hours of Friday morning.

Before that at 9pm on Wednesday Canterbury star Susannah Townsend and Holcombe players Maddie Hinch, Shona McCallin, Nic White and Sam Quek are in action for GB's women's hockey team against New Zealand with the winner of the semi-final clash securing at least a silver medal.