Melaine Walker (centre) trailing the leaders in the third of three semi-finals in the women's 400m hurdles at the London Olympics yesterday. Walker placed sixth in 55.74 seconds and failed to advance to tomorrow's final. The semi-final heat was won in 54.40 by Nigeria's Muizat Ajoke Odumosu. - Ricardo Makyn

LONDON, England:

A week ago defending Olympic 400m hurdles champion Melaine Walker was full of confidence heading into the London spectacle, last night inside the London Olympic Stadium, the former World Championships gold and silver medallist was anything but herself, as she failed to advance to tomorrow's final; her post-race interview was even stranger.

"Everybody may want to beat Melaine, but they also know that Melaine always shows up for the championships," said Walker from the team's pre-Olympic training camp in Birmingham.

However, last night, with a spot in the final at stake, Walker seemed uninterested, suggested that there were several issues affecting her and pointed out that perhaps the 'fire' was not there.

"I can't tell you what happened, I just feel like I had a bad day," said a smiling Walker, moments after her sixth place 55.74 clocking in the women's 400m semi-final. "I don't know what happened, maybe I'm not feeling the fire anymore."

world records

"There are plenty other finals that can be made, and I don't think it's a very big deal, the only thing left for me to do is to break the world records and that can be broken on any day, so it's just a bad day," hardly words you would expect to come from one of the event's most respected names.

Walker, who ran 54.78 to finish second in the heats on Sunday and is widely adored for her fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude, seemed rather uninterested from start to finish, raising serious questions of her motivation coming into the championship and her relationship with her club, MVP Track Club, to which she responded:

"I mean, you have people training under worse situations, so I always have to look at that. Every time that you think you are going through something, there is always someone in a worse situation and in everything, I am always grateful," Walker said, before adding that she expects to return for the IAAF World Championships next year, but perhaps with a few changes.

"Probably not in the 400m hurdles, I'm not sure but yes (I intend to compete at the World Championships). There is no bottom line to anything but in my mind there are things going on, but in time you will know what's happening," said Walker, who is known to prefer the 100m hurdles to the 400m hurdles.

"I know that everyone is disappointed but there is plenty disappointment in this game, but I must say that I am very grateful that I was able to come out here, four years back-to-back being in finals and medalling, I am not disappointed that I am not in the final, but I know my goals and they are different from the final," Walker continued.

"Mentally, when I am ready I can do anything," Walker added. "I was ready but I'm not sure if I wanted it that much; I don't know, I don't know this feeling, I went out there and I ran but I wasn't feeling it, there wasn't any fire.