Mägi was among the top three in the third heat from the start and managed to win the race after the final hurdle, as Brazilian Alison dos Santos and American CJ Allen slowed down.

Mägi finished with a time of 48.62 seconds, Allen with 48.64 seconds and dos Santos with 48.75 seconds. The three advanced directly to the semifinals.

The fastest time to advance was posted by Karsten Warholm, the three-time world champion and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, who crossed the line in 47.57 seconds. Competing in front of his home crowd, 23-year-old Clement Ducos finished in 47.69 seconds, with no other competitor breaking the 48-second mark.

Also securing a spot in the semifinals were American hurdler Rai Benjamin, who was bested by Warholm in Tokyo, with a time of 48.82 seconds, and last year's World Championship silver medalist Kyron McMaster, who finished in 49.24 seconds.

The remaining 22 athletes will compete in consolation races, from which six will advance.

The 400-meter hurdles semifinals will take place on Wednesday, with the final set for Friday.

After the race, the Estonian said the initial plan was to advance in second place. "I don't know what the others had planned, but I received a recommendation from my coach that second place in the heat might mean a more favorable semifinal position, if we can even talk about favorable competition in this context. I thought I'd take Allen in the final meters, but dos Santos also slowed down. Then I hesitated a bit at the last moment, but still got the win," Mägi told Estonian journalists.

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