The 23-year-old lined up for the heats of the 1500 metres event, a notoriously tactical and messy distance.

Edwards was in the thick of the action, a slow race seeing athletes jostle for position throughout the journey as they sought to progress to the semi-finals.

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Sitting mid-pack, the former Warilla High School student got caught up in two separate incidents in the final lap of the race, two runners hitting the deck.

Edwards stayed on his feet, however lost all his momentum and the leaders were able to pull away.

The Canberra-based athlete fought hard to reel his rivals in, however he ultimately finished seventh in a time of 3:42.62, one place outside the automatic qualifiers for the semi-final.

Edwards shook his head upon crossing the finish line, the time well outside his personal best of 3:33.23. The slow pace crippled his chances of securing a non-automatic qualifier.

"Absolutely brutal," Edwards told Channel 7. "That's obviously what Olympic races are like. I had a good preparation leading in, but unfortunately I couldn't get it done, I couldn't execute on the day.

"It is quite frustrating, in a pretty messy race too, but it is what it is."

Australia will have a presence in the semi-finals, with Ollie Hoare and Stewart McSweyn safely progressing to the next round of the competition.

The pair will return to the track on Thursday, where they will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Illawarra product Ryan Gregson in making an Olympic final.

Whereas Edwards' heat was painfully slow, McSweyn moved to the front and ensured his race was much quicker.

It's the place the Australian record holder feels most comfortable and he intends to repeat the strategy in the semi-final.

"If I can make it quick, I'm going to take guys on," McSweyn said. "I'll run my own race, if guys are able to beat me doing that, fair enough, they're too good and I can accept that.

"I'm happy taking it on, I'll be trying to take it on in the semis as well."

Once Edwards gets over the disappointment of missing the semi-finals, he will be able to take plenty of positives from an Olympics experience few predicted.

Even Edwards initially had his sights set on Paris in 2024 after battling a string of crippling injuries in recent years.

The youngster's improvement in the past nine months has been staggering, shaving eight seconds off his personal best.

This latest disappointment is sure to drive the talented runner to return in three years and progress deeper in the competition.

Edwards has already qualified for next year's World Championships and with a bigger fitness base behind him coach Dick Telford expects him to get even faster.

"It was a great experience, you can't buy that experience, getting used to the rough and tumble," Jye's father Derek said.

"What he's done this season is astonishing. The people in athletics who know what he's done off limited work have said he's one to look out for. He's in elite company now, but with another couple of seconds next year, he'll be mixing with the top guys."