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Steve and Sally close seconds in London
Steve Hooker and Sally McLellan have confirmed they remain on track to produce their best at the Olympic Games with both recording the second best performances of their careers to finish a close second in their respective events at the London Grand Prix meet at Crystal Palace.
History was made in the men’s pole vault, as two men cleared 5.97m at the same meeting for the first time ever.
Hooker cleared a height of 5.97m to finish behind Russia’s Yevgeniy Lukyanenko on a count back. Hooker entered the competition at 5.62m and after clearing 5.82m on his second attempt went clear on the first try at 5.87m and 5.92m – a performance in almost any other circumstance would be enough for victory.
However at the telling height of the competition, 5.97m, where current world leader Brad Walker exited the competition, Hooker went clear on his third attempt. Lukyanenko cleared the height on his second attempt and with neither man clearing the next height of 6.02m the Russian was the winner.
“It lived up to it didn’t it!” said Hooker on his prediction following his win last weekend in Paris that today’s competition would be the most enthralling outside of the Olympics.
“I loved being out there and everything about it. I definitely feel that there is more in there for me and that I can jump higher.”
Hooker, 26, had some good attempts at 6.02m, which would have been a personal best by two centimetres.
“I think I was a little bit too close on my take-off and it wasn’t quite as sweetly timed as is needed for a six metre jump,” he said of his best attempt.
“Hopefully next time I have a jump at it is at the Olympics and it will go a little bit better.”
“I think I jumped very well,” said the 23-year-old Lukyanenko, who has cleared 6.01 this year. “I’m not disappointed but I would have liked to have jumped higher.”
Walker, the world’s leader with 6.04 who managed only 5.72m said: “I had some good jumps but didn’t quite get it together today. It’s going to take a 6m jump to win the Olympics.”
“I think it’s clear now that we are they guys with form going in,” said Hooker of Lukyanenko and Walker. “But it’s the Olympic Games. Anyone could step up so I’m not discounting anyone and I will just go out there and try to jump every bar that I am capable of jumping and I’ll see what happens with the result.”
Sally McLellan ran a race that could be described as 99% perfect in the 100m hurdles, but as is often the case in world class sprinting events, the smallest imperfection can be the difference between victory and second place.
McLellan exploded out of the starting blocks and clearly led the field over the first and subsequent hurdles. At the eighth hurdle the field, led by US champion Lolo Jones, started to reel the 21-year-old Queenslander in as she began to falter slightly with her technique. Over the final hurdle McLellan still appeared to be in the lead but was overbalancing and fell as she crossed the line.
After referral to the photo finish judges, Lolo was given the win in 12.58 seconds, with McLellan three hundredths of a second behind in 12.61 seconds.
“I knew I was going to fall, but I wasn’t sure when. I was hoping it was going to be after the final hurdle and not before it,” said McLellan, who was happy with her performance in a race where she took the scalps of current Olympic champion Joanna Hayes and former world championships medalist Brigitte Foster-Hylton.
“I need to get some more experience running that speed. I’ve got the racing experience but not the speed experience – I’ve never run that fast before!
“It’s a welcoming experience; it’s good to feel that fast. Everything’s going to plan. I just need to fix up the ending.”
McLellan will have a chance to practice running just as fast again when she takes on a strong field in Monaco on Tuesday prior to heading to Hong Kong for the team’s final holding camp prior to Beijing.
Despite her exceptional recent form, McLellan remains level headed about her prospects in Beijing.
“My goal all year has been to make the final and anything else that comes out of it is a bonus,” she said.
“I don’t want to think about medals. Usually when I think about things too much they don’t happen. I want to let my body do the talking.”
Fabrice Lapierre, who only learned of the possibility of competing in London last Wednesday following his late inclusion in the Olympic team, looked rough in the early rounds of the men’s long jump before jumping a respectable 7.96m in the fifth round to claim third place. Britian’s Greg Rutherford took out the event with a best leap of 8.16m.
Kylie Wheeler rounded out the 4 discipline multi-event with a season’s best of 14.10m in the shot put and a run of 24.35 seconds in the 200m. She placed fifth overall, 406 points behind Britain’s Olympic heptathlon hope Kelly Sotherton.
Also in action was Victoria’s Georgie Clarke, who set up an entertaining women’s 3000m by leading for most of the race before fading over the final 600m for a seventh place finish in 9:03.16.
The highlight of the second day of the meet was world record holder over the 100m, Usain Bolt, showing his sprinting prowess over the 200m. Bolt brought the crowd to their feet with a sensational run of 19.76 seconds. After a good, but not exceptional first 100m, Bolt exploded off the bend into the straight and seemed to make several glances to USA rival Wallace Spearmon on the lane outside him as he moved fluidly away down the straight for an emphatic half a second victory.
By Tim McGrath in London for Athletics Australia Media
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