South Korea's Lee Ju-ho missed the final in the men's 200-meter backstroke at the swimming world championships in Japan on Thursday.
Lee finished in 13th place in the semifinals with a time of 1:58.05 at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka. Only the top eight advanced to the final scheduled for Friday.
Lee had touched the pad in 1:57.99 in the heats earlier Thursday, but he was battling flu-like symptoms and ended up posting a worse time in the semifinals.
No South Korean has been in the final of a backstroke event at world championships. Lee has now been eliminated in semifinals at three straight world championships.
Lee was the only South Korean in action for the evening session Thursday. The world championships will conclude Sunday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency