'Absolutely brutal' moment wrecks Aussie Jye Edwards' Olympics in 1500m heat

Australia's Jye Edwards has narrowly missed out on a spot in the 1500m semi-final at the Tokyo Olympics following what he described as a "messy race".

Edwards was interrupted during the final lap and forced to dodge Poland's Marcin Lewandowski, who fell with just under 400-metres remaining during the second qualifying heat.

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Lewandowski had attempted to push out before tripping over and holding up Edwards, which momentarily slowed the Aussie's pace.

The 23-year-old Australian finished seventh with a time of 3:42.62.

"Absolutely brutal," Edwards said after the race. "I had a good preparation leading in but unfortunately I couldn't get it done."

"It's quite frustrating... It was a messy race. That's the Olympics, it's cutthroat.

"I thought I was in a pretty good spot early, then everyone came around, kind of got swamped a bit, probably didn't hold my position well enough in the end.

"I gave it everything."

Fellow Aussies Ollie Hoare and Stewart McSweyn qualified for the semi-final during with strong performances in their heats.

Hoare finished with a time of 3:36.09 during the first heat, while McSweyn finished third in his heat with a time of 3:36.39.

Both are considered strong chances of securing a berth in the final.