I’ve missed the morning session of Day 2 of the ongoing World Indoor Championships in Istanbul because I had athletics training. Luckily, the clips of the first two heats have already been uploaded to Youtube.
With Dayron Robles pulling out of Istanbul because of a leg injury (and possibly, motivation problems), the prospect of a legendary clash between Liu Xiang and Robles has been delayed. The newly-crowned world champion Jason Richardson and American record holder David Oliver are missing from the start list.
Liu, the former world record holder in the outdoor distance, is the undeniable favorite to win the title. He’s in sterling shape, having set an Asian Record of 7.41s a few weeks back. Liu already has a full set of World Indoor Championships medals from 2003, 2004 and 2008, when he won a bronze, silver and gold, respectively.
On paper, Liu is the fastest competitor amongst the Istanbul participants this season. Aries Merritt (7.43s A), Russia’s Konstantin Shabanov (7.52s), and France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (7.54s) round up the next three. Kevin Craddock, with a season’s best of 7.46s A didn’t start his heat.
Martinot-Lagarde, the 2010 World Junior Champion, won the first heat in classy fashion. He had a great start, and ran abreast with four other guys in his heat before gradually powering his way to first place, edging out South Africa’s Lehann Fourie by one-hundredths of a second.
Liu Xiang had a relatively slow reaction time (0.214s), like most of the sprinters and hurdlers competing in the 60m distance. Perhaps he was trying to be careful, in light of the unexpected exits of several big names due to the starting fiasco in Istanbul. Britain’s Andrew Pozzi took the second heat in 7.61s, as Liu (7.62s) slowed down to finish line.
Merritt (7.66s) and Emanuele Abate of Italy (7.71s) won the next two heats.
My picks for top two are Liu and Merritt. Liu, with his injury-plagued seasons finally behind him is hungry for a world title. It’s high time the hard working Merritt wins his share of the limelight too.
The field is open for third place. If I were a betting (which I am not), my money’s on Martinot-Lagarde. His laid-back demeanor reminds me so much of Liu. Happy hurdlers are dangerous competitors. Expect the Martinot-Lagarde to spring a surprise in Istanbul.
In the first clash between Liu Xiang (刘翔) and Dayron Robles since the controversial 110m high hurdle final in Daegu, the 2004 Olympic Champion ran roughshod over the opposition. From the gun to the tape, Liu was unchallenged. Even the fast-starting Robles was behind by half a stride right out of the blocks, despite having a lightning quick reaction time of 0.009s compared to Liu’s 0.154. Only Dexter Faulk over in lane 1 was fast enough match Liu’s pace.
In usual Liu fashion, he ran a clean race. Whereas the erratic Robles clipped the final barrier.
The former world record holder stopped the clock in 7.41s, way faster than his 7.55s season’s best from 2011. His time in the final was one-hundredth of a second faster than his previous best of 7.42s from 2007. Robles ran a season’s best of 7.50s.
The American troika of Faulk, Kevin Craddock and Jeff Porter all registered identical times of 7.54s, but finished in the aforesaid order following a closer inspection of the photo finish tape. Aries Merritt was a close sixth with 7.55s.
It feels great seeing my idol win! His post-race celebration – devoid of bravado and chest-thumping – was characteristic of Liu!
“I still feel I didn’t do very well over the first two hurdles and there is work to be done there,” said Liu Xiang in an IAAF article. “I am excited about the rest of the year now.” It’s important to note that prior to 2011, Liu had an 8-step approach to the first hurdles. Considering the fact that he had run faster than his 2007 best, the prospects for this March’s World Indoor Championships look bright – and astoundingly fast.
I’m not discounting Robles just yet. After all, the 2008 Olympic Champion owns the second-fastest 60m hurdles time in history (7.33s).
Screenshot from CCTV
I have to commend the organizers for a well-thought out move. To prevent a probable clash of arms between the two hurdling titans, the quick-thinking Brits placed Aries Merritt right in the middle of the two!
Czech national record holder, Petr Svoboda, edged out Kevin Craddock and former world record holder Liu Xiang 刘翔 at the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf. Despite hitting most of the hurdles, Svoboda clung to the lead. The Czech and the American actually had identical times of 7.57s, with the latter setting a new personal best. A closer review of the photo-finish cameras awarded the race to Svoboda.
The fast-finishing Liu stopped the clock at a modest 7.60s – better than his 7.65s performance in last year’s World Indoor Championships in Doha – but a far cry from his 7.42s best set in Karlsruhe almost four years ago.
No offense to Svoboda and Craddock, but I absolutely hate it when Liu loses. Perhaps I’m accustomed to seeing my idol wallop the competition, than see him finish behind less illustrious names. But then again, Liu is still in the cusp of recovery. Liu Xiang is a hurdler who digs deep and relies on rhythm. The 60m doesn’t just provide ample space for one’s afterburners to kick in, unlike the 110m – in light of his injury.
In an IAAF interview, Liu was actually satisfied with his 2011 indoor debut (his first European race in 3 years): “Taking into account my injury problems I am happy with my performance.”
I can hardly wait when Liu squares off with David Oliver in Karlsruhe (set for today, 13 Feb 2011!). I’ll be eagerly awaiting the results!
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