Nick Symmonds knows these Olympic Games are his best chance to medal. But the 28-year-old Boise native, Bishop Kelly High graduate and two-time Olympian faces a strong field in Thursday’s 800-meter final in London.

Symmonds will start in Lane 8, the next-to-last outside lane. He qualified seventh among eight men in the final.

The race begins at 1 p.m. MDT.

NBC will televise the race as part of its primetime coverage and you can watch live online at NBCOlympics.com. Or check IdahoStatesman.com for results.

Symmonds has the sixth-fastest personal best and the sixth-fastest season best in the field. Heavy gold medal favorite David Rudisha of Kenya set the world record at 1 minute, 41.01 seconds. No one, including Symmonds, has a personal best within a second of Rudisha’s record.

Rudisha’s season-best time — 1:41.54 — is a second and a half better than anybody else in the field. Six men in the field have season bests between 1:43.11 and 1.43.94. Symmonds’ season-best time is 1.43.78, just .02 off his personal best.

“It’s got to be a 1:43 to have any shot. I’ve proven I can run a 1:43,” Symmonds said before the Games.

Symmonds ran the 400 meters in a warm-up meet in Dublin to help get acclimated to a faster pace earlier in the race. It was his professional debut in the event. Symmonds is known for his late kick in the 800.

Brian Murphy: 377-6444,Twitter: @MurphsTurph