Sprinter Ann Marii Kivikas exited the 200m semifinals while Viktor Morozov missed the triple jump final.

At the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, defending decathlon champion Johannes Erm sits fifth after day one with 4,282 points, while Karel Tilga is tenth and Rasmus Roosleht closed with a personal-best 400m.

Ann Marii Kivikas finishes 20th in 200m semifinals

Kivikas finished 20th in the 200 meter semifinals, with a time of 23.34. The Estonian, 24, placed sixth in her semifinal, 0.18 seconds slower than her season-best 23.16 from the heats.

"I gave absolutely everything in the heat," Kivikas told ERR, adding she felt ill afterward but recovered by the evening. She rated her championship performance a four-plus out of five.

The semifinal was won by newly crowned European 100m champion and home crowd-pleaser Amy Hunt with a time of 22.37, the fastest time overall. The final takes place Thursday evening.

Triple jumper Morozov falls short of mark needed to reach final

Meanwhile Viktor Morozov placed 17th in triple hump qualifying, missing the final by 0.21 meters. His best jump of 15.85 came on his second attempt, after opening with 15.32 and closing with 15.59.

The 29-year-old has surpassed 16 meters several times this season, including a wind-assisted 16.55 in June, but fell short of the 16.06 qualifying mark.

Portugal's Pedro Pichardo led qualifying with 17.16, ahead of Italy's Andy Diaz Hernandez (17.05). The final takes place Saturday.

Decathlon day one: Erm fifth, Tilga tenth after solid opening

The decathlon has long been a coveted event for Estonian sport, with retired athlete Erki Nool famously winning gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

The current representatives are defending European champion Johannes Erm, Karel Tilga, Rasmus Roosleht and Risto Lillemets. Erm and Tilga, along with the recently retired Janek Õiglane, made the top 11 at the Paris games two years ago.

Erm now sits fifth after day one in Birmingham with 4,282 points. Karel Tilga is tenth with 4,190, Rasmus Roosleht lies 15th with 4,108 and Risto Lillemets 18th with 4,084.

Erm, competing in his first decathlon in nearly a year, posted 10.88 in the 100m (into a 0.8 m/s headwind), 7.49 in the long jump, 14.55 in the shot put, 1.99 in the high jump and 48.07 in the 400m. Tilga recorded 11.22 (into 2.1 m/s headwind), 7.28, 15.46, 2.02 and 49.10. Roosleht ran 10.91 (2.1 headwind), jumped 6.95 and threw 15.88, cleared 1.93 in the high jump and closed with a personal-best 47.84 to win his 400m heat. Lillemets, competing through pain, produced 11.09, 6.97, 15.47, 1.96 and 49.23.

Paris silver medalist Leo Neugebauer (Germany) leads with 4,483 points, after opening the shot put with a championship-record 17.13. Norway's Sander Skotheim is second with 4,364, followed by Germany's Niklas Kaul (4,263), who improved his shot put PB by five centimetres with 15.26.

Tilga struggled most in the headwind, losing 85 points in the 100m compared with his personal-best schedule — the poorest first-event performance of the entire field.

"I felt light on my feet and nothing hurts anywhere," Tilga told ERR on the eve of the competition. "The trend at the last couple of championships has been that I've been calmer, putting fewer expectations on myself."

Day two of the decathlon continues Thursday at the Alexander Stadium with the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500m.

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