Home » News and Media » News » 2009 » August » Berlin Day 6 - Evening session - LIVE
20.08.2009
Fabrice Lapierre and Mitchell Watt have made the long jump world turn its attention down under yet again this year and Australia's great long jumping tradition is set to continue in tonight's qualification round.
The men should have no trouble progressing through to the final with the automatic qualification mark set at 8.15m, a distance achieved on several occasions by both Australians this year.
Four Australians have made the final at previous world championships, with Jai Taurima's Australian record jump of 8.35m for fourth place in Seville being the best performance.
On that occasion Taurima was joined by West Australian Shane Hair, who ended up fifth (8.24m), and tonight a second Australian duo qualifying for a world championships final is highly likely.
American Dwight Phillips and Irving Saladino (Panama) are expected to battle for the gold medal but it's not beyond the Australians to threaten these two as they have some of the longest jumps in the world this year.
The top competitors in each of the two groups are being introduced, but the announcer limits this to Phillips, Saladino and the Germans. What about our guys? Lapierre won the World Athletics Final last year and Watt has the fifth best jump in the world this year.
Phillips, the 2004 Olympic champion, is first through to the final with a huge 8.44m.
Now Rutherford goes through with a new personal best of 8.30m as the African record-holder Mokoena runs through on his first attempt.
Defending champion Saladino is up now. He has a best jump of 8.63m this year and did not look good on that first attempt. It's 8.00m.
There goes France's Sdiri; fans will remember him as the long jumper in the wrong place at the wrong time when Pitkamaki's javelin landed in his side in Rome a few years ago.
Here goes Watt. The law student has a personal best of 8.43m. White flag and it's close. 8.14m. Just one centimetre less than automatic.
Now Lapierre. Amazing. 8.14m as well within a few minutes of each other.
There'll be some big jumping out there as tailwinds are the order of the day.
Rutherford's first round jump was a new national record for Great Britain.
Sebastian Bayer, the German who burst into contention earlier this year when he jumped the second furthest indoor jump of all time (8.71m), disappoints the crowd with a poor 7.98m.
The first round is complete for Lapierre's group so he'll probably be the next Australian to jump.
If these conditions hold up for the final there is sure to be some huge jumping given the form of the top contenders. In fact, Phillips has stated that he wants the world record and, being coached by the man who guided Carl Lewis' career, he is in the right hands.
Mokoena is through now with 8.29m on his second jump and we expect Saladino to do the same. Yes he does, it's 8.16m.
Watt next to go. He's currently equal fifth. Watt has a big foul and destroys the board in the process. They'll need a new one.
Lapierre passes. It looks like he's gambling that he'll get through to the final as one of the top 12.
The Australians are still in equal fifth place and there's only about a dozen more jumps for the field.
Both Australians pass their remaining jump despite not making the automatic qualifying mark. At the moment they are safe in equal fifth and no one in the bottom half of the jumping looks like they'll beat their 8.14m efforts.
Bayer is out as he fouls his last attempt.
For the second time Australia will have two finalists in the men's long jump. Lapierre and Watt join Taurima, Hair, Gary Honey and David Culbert as finalists at this level.
Men's 5000m - Heats - LIVE
Collis Birmingham lines up in the 5000m heats against 10,000m winner Kenenisa Bekele. Birmingham dropped out of the 10,000m earlier in the week, but returns to the start line in need of a top-five finish if he is to automatically progress to the final.
In Oslo six weeks ago the Victorian ran the second fastest 5000m by an Australian with 13.14.53.
The first heat is away and Birmingham is sitting in fifth after one lap.
Ueno (Japan) was an early leader but know he is swallowed up by the leaders. Birmingham is in ninth.
The pack goes through 2000m in 5.23.80 and the Australian, fresh from a personal best over one mile in London, is still in ninth.
After 3000m Birmingham's position was eighth and Ebuya (Kenya) led through with 8.05.77.
At 4000m he's 11th and his split is 10.49.44.
200m to go and he's trying to hang on to the leaders, who kick for home.
Birmingham crosses the line in about 10th place. The first five in each heat qualify automatically and then it's the next five fastest. He's hanging on by a thread. The Aussie will have to wait until the completion of the second heat to find out if he progresses.
The official time for Birmingham is 13.23.48, a performance he has only bettered on four other occasions.
He makes it! The second heat is slow and Birmingham scrapes in by .38. He becomes only the second Australian to make a world championships 5000m final. That first occasion was a memorable one - Craig Mottram winning bronze behind Limo in 2005.
In other events:
Women's 200m - Semi-finals - LIVE
New Zealander Monique Williams ran a national record in the 200m of 22.96 in the heats of the 200m to take her place in the semi-finals. The Kiwi is well known in Australia, winning the Australian title in March ahead of teen sprinter Melissa Breen.
Here again she improved her record to 22.90 to place third in the semi-finals, good running but not enough to qualify for tomorrow night's final.
Women's 400m hurdles - Final
Melaine Walker just misses the world record winning in a superb 52.42, a new championships record. That's the second fastest of all time.
Not surprisingly it's also a Jamaican record, besting her own 52.63 set when winning Olympic gold last year in Beijing.
Lashinda Demus, the previous holder of the world's fastest time this year battled gallantly but found the Jamaican too strong over the final two hurdles. Demus's time was 52.96.
Josan Lucas set a new national record for Trinidad and Tobago (53.20) in third place.
On her victory lap Walker was piggy-backed by Berlino, the world champs mascot who succeeded in falling and sent the newly-crowned champ sprawling across the track. Bad form from the bear!
Women's High jump - Final - LIVE
Besides the men's 100m the women's high jump is the most anticipated battle of the championships. Local Ariane Friedrich became the nation's hope for a gold medal after rocketing to fame in 2008 by denying Croatian Blanka Vlasic the million dollar bonus for six straight wins on the Golden League circuit.
As the bar moves to 2.02m only the German and Croatian have a clear slate. This is where the minor medals will be sorted out as three others Beitia, Chicherova and Di Martino remain in contention.
Friedrich surprisingly needs all three attempts at 2.02m. Chicherova is the surprise leader with a first attempt clearance. Vlasic is over and the medallists are confirmed. 2.04m will sort out who gets what colour.
A dramatic conclusion to the high jump as Vlasic goes clear at 2.02m, Chicherova fails three times and Friedrich passes after two misses.
Friedrich can't make it, much to the disappointment of the crowd, although since the Germans already have two surprise gold medallists in the throws - Nerius in the women's javelin and Harting in the men's discus - they seem to quickly recover.
Vlasic takes three attempts at a world record 2.10m but fails. Steka Kostadinova's standard of 2.09m set in 1987 at the world championships in Rome stays in the record books.
Men's 200m - Final
19.19. There's not much more to say. After a few strides it was clear Usain Bolt had the race sewn up but the look on Bolt's face was one that wanted another world record.
Despite running a time few contemplated possible until last year, the Jamaican managed to glance up at the big screen a couple of times just off the bend to make sure he had the race sewn up. He didn't need to. His lead was already out to three metres, which he extended to six by the finish line.
Men's 110m hurdles - Final
Ryan Braithwaite of Barbados won that country's first medal at the world championships by running a national record 13.14 in the 110m hurdles. In the process he denied perennial bridesmaid Terrence Trammell what looked like his chance to finally win a global title, especially after the demise of Olympic champion Dayron Robles (Cuba) in the semi-finals.
Trammell's silver medal is his third at the world championships having been runner-up in Paris and Osaka. He was also second at the Sydney Olympic Games behind Cuban Anier Garcia.
News
Berlin Day 6 - Evening session - LIVE
Men's Long jump - Qualification - LIVEFabrice Lapierre and Mitchell Watt have made the long jump world turn its attention down under yet again this year and Australia's great long jumping tradition is set to continue in tonight's qualification round.
The men should have no trouble progressing through to the final with the automatic qualification mark set at 8.15m, a distance achieved on several occasions by both Australians this year.
Four Australians have made the final at previous world championships, with Jai Taurima's Australian record jump of 8.35m for fourth place in Seville being the best performance.
On that occasion Taurima was joined by West Australian Shane Hair, who ended up fifth (8.24m), and tonight a second Australian duo qualifying for a world championships final is highly likely.
American Dwight Phillips and Irving Saladino (Panama) are expected to battle for the gold medal but it's not beyond the Australians to threaten these two as they have some of the longest jumps in the world this year.
The top competitors in each of the two groups are being introduced, but the announcer limits this to Phillips, Saladino and the Germans. What about our guys? Lapierre won the World Athletics Final last year and Watt has the fifth best jump in the world this year.
Phillips, the 2004 Olympic champion, is first through to the final with a huge 8.44m.
Now Rutherford goes through with a new personal best of 8.30m as the African record-holder Mokoena runs through on his first attempt.
Defending champion Saladino is up now. He has a best jump of 8.63m this year and did not look good on that first attempt. It's 8.00m.
There goes France's Sdiri; fans will remember him as the long jumper in the wrong place at the wrong time when Pitkamaki's javelin landed in his side in Rome a few years ago.
Here goes Watt. The law student has a personal best of 8.43m. White flag and it's close. 8.14m. Just one centimetre less than automatic.
Now Lapierre. Amazing. 8.14m as well within a few minutes of each other.
There'll be some big jumping out there as tailwinds are the order of the day.
Rutherford's first round jump was a new national record for Great Britain.
Sebastian Bayer, the German who burst into contention earlier this year when he jumped the second furthest indoor jump of all time (8.71m), disappoints the crowd with a poor 7.98m.
The first round is complete for Lapierre's group so he'll probably be the next Australian to jump.
If these conditions hold up for the final there is sure to be some huge jumping given the form of the top contenders. In fact, Phillips has stated that he wants the world record and, being coached by the man who guided Carl Lewis' career, he is in the right hands.
Mokoena is through now with 8.29m on his second jump and we expect Saladino to do the same. Yes he does, it's 8.16m.
Watt next to go. He's currently equal fifth. Watt has a big foul and destroys the board in the process. They'll need a new one.
Lapierre passes. It looks like he's gambling that he'll get through to the final as one of the top 12.
The Australians are still in equal fifth place and there's only about a dozen more jumps for the field.
Both Australians pass their remaining jump despite not making the automatic qualifying mark. At the moment they are safe in equal fifth and no one in the bottom half of the jumping looks like they'll beat their 8.14m efforts.
Bayer is out as he fouls his last attempt.
For the second time Australia will have two finalists in the men's long jump. Lapierre and Watt join Taurima, Hair, Gary Honey and David Culbert as finalists at this level.
Men's 5000m - Heats - LIVE
Collis Birmingham lines up in the 5000m heats against 10,000m winner Kenenisa Bekele. Birmingham dropped out of the 10,000m earlier in the week, but returns to the start line in need of a top-five finish if he is to automatically progress to the final.
In Oslo six weeks ago the Victorian ran the second fastest 5000m by an Australian with 13.14.53.
The first heat is away and Birmingham is sitting in fifth after one lap.
Ueno (Japan) was an early leader but know he is swallowed up by the leaders. Birmingham is in ninth.
The pack goes through 2000m in 5.23.80 and the Australian, fresh from a personal best over one mile in London, is still in ninth.
After 3000m Birmingham's position was eighth and Ebuya (Kenya) led through with 8.05.77.
At 4000m he's 11th and his split is 10.49.44.
200m to go and he's trying to hang on to the leaders, who kick for home.
Birmingham crosses the line in about 10th place. The first five in each heat qualify automatically and then it's the next five fastest. He's hanging on by a thread. The Aussie will have to wait until the completion of the second heat to find out if he progresses.
The official time for Birmingham is 13.23.48, a performance he has only bettered on four other occasions.
He makes it! The second heat is slow and Birmingham scrapes in by .38. He becomes only the second Australian to make a world championships 5000m final. That first occasion was a memorable one - Craig Mottram winning bronze behind Limo in 2005.
In other events:
Women's 200m - Semi-finals - LIVE
New Zealander Monique Williams ran a national record in the 200m of 22.96 in the heats of the 200m to take her place in the semi-finals. The Kiwi is well known in Australia, winning the Australian title in March ahead of teen sprinter Melissa Breen.
Here again she improved her record to 22.90 to place third in the semi-finals, good running but not enough to qualify for tomorrow night's final.
Women's 400m hurdles - Final
Melaine Walker just misses the world record winning in a superb 52.42, a new championships record. That's the second fastest of all time.
Not surprisingly it's also a Jamaican record, besting her own 52.63 set when winning Olympic gold last year in Beijing.
Lashinda Demus, the previous holder of the world's fastest time this year battled gallantly but found the Jamaican too strong over the final two hurdles. Demus's time was 52.96.
Josan Lucas set a new national record for Trinidad and Tobago (53.20) in third place.
On her victory lap Walker was piggy-backed by Berlino, the world champs mascot who succeeded in falling and sent the newly-crowned champ sprawling across the track. Bad form from the bear!
Women's High jump - Final - LIVE
Besides the men's 100m the women's high jump is the most anticipated battle of the championships. Local Ariane Friedrich became the nation's hope for a gold medal after rocketing to fame in 2008 by denying Croatian Blanka Vlasic the million dollar bonus for six straight wins on the Golden League circuit.
As the bar moves to 2.02m only the German and Croatian have a clear slate. This is where the minor medals will be sorted out as three others Beitia, Chicherova and Di Martino remain in contention.
Friedrich surprisingly needs all three attempts at 2.02m. Chicherova is the surprise leader with a first attempt clearance. Vlasic is over and the medallists are confirmed. 2.04m will sort out who gets what colour.
A dramatic conclusion to the high jump as Vlasic goes clear at 2.02m, Chicherova fails three times and Friedrich passes after two misses.
Friedrich can't make it, much to the disappointment of the crowd, although since the Germans already have two surprise gold medallists in the throws - Nerius in the women's javelin and Harting in the men's discus - they seem to quickly recover.
Vlasic takes three attempts at a world record 2.10m but fails. Steka Kostadinova's standard of 2.09m set in 1987 at the world championships in Rome stays in the record books.
Men's 200m - Final
19.19. There's not much more to say. After a few strides it was clear Usain Bolt had the race sewn up but the look on Bolt's face was one that wanted another world record.
Despite running a time few contemplated possible until last year, the Jamaican managed to glance up at the big screen a couple of times just off the bend to make sure he had the race sewn up. He didn't need to. His lead was already out to three metres, which he extended to six by the finish line.
Men's 110m hurdles - Final
Ryan Braithwaite of Barbados won that country's first medal at the world championships by running a national record 13.14 in the 110m hurdles. In the process he denied perennial bridesmaid Terrence Trammell what looked like his chance to finally win a global title, especially after the demise of Olympic champion Dayron Robles (Cuba) in the semi-finals.
Trammell's silver medal is his third at the world championships having been runner-up in Paris and Osaka. He was also second at the Sydney Olympic Games behind Cuban Anier Garcia.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters to keep up to date with Athletics in Australia.
More Headlines
23.05.2012
Ballard and Fearnley impress in Notwill
22.05.2012
ATHLETE UPDATE: May 22 - June 4
