ATHLETICS: After being eliminated at the penultimate stage at a fourth straight major championships, Lauren Wells has pledged to go one better in the 400m hurdles at next year's Rio Olympics.

Wells is one of Australia's most consistent athletes.

She has been a fixture on national teams for the past six years and can usually be relied upon to clock a time in the 55 to low 56 second range.

So it was again at the world championships, when she powered through her heat in 55.65 and then clocked 56.04 in the semi-final on Monday.

The latter time was only good enough for 14th overall, with Zuzana Hejnova from the Czech Republic topping the qualifying charts with 54.24.

Now it's time to take the next step.

"I am happy," 27-year-old Wells said.

"World championship semi-finals are brutal and to come away with fourth (in her semi) is a great step forward compared to my previous major-event experience.

"I would have liked a faster time, I am usually disappointed with a 56-anything, but in saying that, I executed a new stride pattern here that I haven't before.

"That's a positive.

"I'm not in the final in two days time, but next year I will be."

Wells has now been knocked out at the semi-final stage at the 2011, 2013 and 2015 world championships and the 2012 London Olympics.

Fellow Australian Hamish Peacock was eliminated in the qualifying round of the men's javelin after throwing 79.37m, almost four metres shy of his personal best.

AAP