20.08.2009

Sally digs deep for fifth

Billed as one of the closest races of the championships the women’s 100m hurdles didn’t disappoint, with seven of the eight finalists coming over the line within .3 of each other.

Australia’s Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan was one of the pre-race favourites and had raced consistently through the rounds, winning her heat in a time of 12.82 and placing second to Olympic gold medallist Dawn Harper in the semi-final in 12.66.

On the blocks McLellan looked focused and came out just behind Olympic bronze medallist, Canada’s Patricia Lopes-Schliep and Derval O’Rourke, the surprise finalist from Ireland.

McLellan led to the third hurdle before being caught by the Canadian and Commonwealth champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton. Racing alongside McLellan in lane one, Delloreen Ennis-London made a late charge to steal the bronze as McLellan faded slightly in the final stretch.

In what became a race of the hyphenated surnames, the 22-year-old Queenslander finished in fifth place in 12.70 behind Foster-Hylton (12.51), Lopes-Schliep (12.54) and Ennis-London (12.55) in the medals and O’Rourke (12.67) in fourth.

McLellan went into the final prepared to try her best despite a back injury that made each round a challenge.

Following tonight's semi-final she said: “It was scary, I knew I had to run hard but it’s all I wanted to do so I’m happy.”

In the final she was living by the saying that once you are there anything can happen and her race plan was pretty simple: “Just go,” she said.

“I had a good start (in the semi) but the first hurdle wasn’t good and that’s where I lost it, I’ve just got to keep going from there."

The Olympic silver medallist was in shock after the final.

“I smashed at the eighth hurdle or something and it was hard to keep my rhythm going and my speed and that’s pretty much what happened,” she said.

A back injury, sustained in training 13 days ago, had a significant impact on McLellan’s training in the lead up to the championships.

“I didn’t have the best week leading up to these championships, I’m not trying to make excuses or anything but I pretty much cried myself here because I had a really bad back injury,” she said.

“I couldn’t even get up without assistance.”

That said she was pleased with her race in the final all things considered: “I think that was my best race out of all of them even though it wasn’t the best time. I hit a couple of hurdles and I think in the European season coming up I’ll be able to get better and better in each race,” McLellan said.

The sky-high expectations that have made her the great athlete she is don’t look like letting up any time soon. Looking to next year McLellan said: “It’s nice to know that I can still make a final and that’s my goal for the rest of my career really, to make every single international final that I can and that would be an amazing achievement in itself."

To watch Sally McLellan's post-race interview click here

Despite three representatives in the semi-finals of the men’s 400m, the distinctive green of Australia will not feature in Friday night’s final after Joel Milburn, Sean Wroe and John Steffensen were run out at the Olympic stadium this evening.

In semi-final one Beijing semi-finalist Joel Milburn went up against 2004 Olympic champion and reigning world champion Jeremy Wariner.

Running from lane seven Milburn looked strong early but was unable to keep up with the speedy Wariner as he raced down the back straight closely followed by Brit Michael Bingham. As they rounded the final bend Milburn was in sixth position and was unable to make up any ground, finishing in 46.06.

Wariner and Bingham took the automatic qualifications in 44.69 and 44.74 respectively, with Frenchman Djhone and Gillick from Ireland the two next fastest qualifiers also through to the final.

The Olympic semi-finalist had a challenging lead up to the championships and although his training has been going well he was behind the eight-ball.

“I know the form is there but I just didn’t have the race fitness,” he admitted.

“I’ve been out running 46s and not the low 45s I need to run, the 45-high I ran yesterday felt really comfortable, so it’s just disappointing."

The New South Wales athlete is already planning a big 2010.

“Next year I’ll have to come out firing and get some good times out early, get the ball rolling right from the start,” he said.

For now Milburn’s focus is on the 4x400m relay.

“I’m looking forward to the relay, I’ve got the fitness there and hopefully the pressure of the 4x400m will bring it out of me," he said.

"We are definitely strong, America’s up there and Great Britain have got a really strong team. It’s going to be a dog fight the whole way."

To watch Joel Milburn’s post-race interview click here

National champion Sean Wroe was next up, running from lane six with the reigning Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt just to his inside. Wroe looked comfortable as the race unfolded and on the home straight was sitting just behind Merritt and Quow. Over the final 30m he was overtaken by Collazo and finished fourth in a time of 45.32. Merritt ran a 44.37 to qualify automatically alongside Renny Quow, who went over the line in 44.53.

Hoping to break 45 for the first time tonight Wroe was disappointed with the result.

“You set such high goals for yourself, I made the semi-final last year and you just want to go that one step further.”

On his race tonight Wroe felt that he had left nothing behind.

“I really gave it a shake out there tonight. I attacked the first 200m but just ran out of legs in the last 100m. I felt like I was coming home strong and the time was a lot quicker than what it was which is a good thing, but I can’t complain, two consecutive times at 45.3 so I’m very fit,” he said.

The national champion will now turn his attention to the 4x400m relay with confidence.

“I think we have a really good shot at the 4x400m, we’ve got three guys that are running well. With the rolling start and the adrenaline and maybe chasing someone I guess anything can really happen.”

To watch Sean Wroe’s post-race interview click here

In the final heat, with the hopes of Australia on his shoulders, John Steffensen looked good and was close to the lead as they turned into the straight but faded over the last 80m to finish in 45.50 for fifth place behind Bahamian Chris Brown (44.95) and Tabarie Henry (44.97) from the British Virgin Islands.

After a shocking run with back and hamstring injuries since early in 2007, Steffensen was pleased to be back.

“I put myself out there, so I declared I was fit but it’s a testament to the guys that beat me, they’ve been running well all season and this is championship running, if you don’t come in championship form you’re not going to be in the final,” he said.

“After this I still have Brussels, Zurich and Gateshead, so we’ll see how I pull up tomorrow and after the relay, that’s the major one. It’s been a long year and I’m very happy with how the year’s gone, I’m just glad to be up and in somewhat international form,” he said.

Steffensen, a member of the silver medal-winning 4x400m relay team from Athens, is looking forward to joining Milburn and Wroe in the relay.

“The relay is always exciting and obviously on paper we’ve got a pretty great team but we all need a bit of a rest and over the next couple of days we’ll sit down with the team management and try to put together the best possible team so we can get the best possible result come Saturday.”

To watch John Steffensen’s post-race interview click here

The 4 x 400m relay heats will be run on Saturday at 6:55pm Berlin time (2:55am AEST) and the final will be the last event of the championships at 6:15 Berlin time (2.15am AEST) on Sunday.

Ready to make her mark in her first world championships final, Dani Samuels flew through the qualification round of the women’s discus at the Olympic Stadium this morning. Lining up in group B, the Target 2012 squad member walked into the circle looking focused and confident and let fly. Samuels only needed one mighty heave to reach and better the automatic qualification mark of 61.50m and record the fourth-best throw of her career, 62.67m.

Samuels was thrilled with her first-throw effort.

“It means a lot to me, it means I can do it,” she said.

“I have more confidence in myself, you always look at those people who do just smash the first throw or first jump and walk off, and its like, 'that’s good'. So hopefully they’ll be aware of me in the final and know I’m a threat,” she said.

The 21-year-old went into this morning's qualifying round knowing she was in the best shape of her career, having thrown a 62.89m at Ústí Nad Labem in the Czech Republic in late July, a distance just six centimetres below her best.

Experience counts in major championships and for a 21-year-old, Samuels has racked up plenty. The Sydneysider is the reigning Commonwealth champion, a former world youth and junior champion, and in Belgrade five weeks ago won her first World University Games title.

She has also represented Australia at the Beijing Olympics, where she placed ninth, and at the world championships in Osaka in 2007.

“You can’t afford to throw safe here, I learned that last year,” she said of her Beijing experience.

"I threw safe on my last one and missed out by 20 centimetres. It’s a game of inches now in the field events, everyone always seems to miss out by just that little bit. So I’m definitely going with the same attitude (as this morning), to stay relaxed and just go for it.”

Fast developing a reputation on the senior circuit, which will be emphasised by her throw this morning, Samuels has taken some impressive scalps. In Zeulenroda, Germany, in July she defeated discus legend Franke Dietsch, and earlier this year at the Sydney Track Classic and the World Athletics Tour Melbourne she defeated both the Beijing Olympic champion Stephanie Brown–Trafton and fourth place-getter at the Olympics, Amin Song.

Ten athletes hit the automatic qualification mark of 61.50m, with Samuels sitting third behind the two Chinese throwers Xuejun Ma and Amin Song. Ma was the 2002 and 2004 world junior champion and made the final of the 11th world championships in Osaka. Others to watch will be the Cuban, Barrios, who took the silver medal in both Beijing and Osaka, Brown-Trafton, who snuck through qualifying in 12th position with 61.23m, and the 19-year-old Croat Sandra Perkovic, who is the youngest in the field.  

Samuels will enter the final confident.

“My last week training here in Berlin has been really good, smoother and more rhythmic than ever. Just before I went into the cage and before my warm-up I felt a little bit forced, a little bit nervous. So I just remembered stay relaxed and tried to visualise and remember the smoothness that I had at training,” the five-time national champion said.

“Judging by the girls' performances this year I think 65m will win gold and after that I think it’s pretty much an open field, there’s no one who is guaranteed to go second or third. That’s the beauty of our event if someone slips up, it really does depend on the day. If I’m feeling the same way I’m feeling in two days time hopefully that will be me.”

To watch Dani Samuel’s post-event interview click here

The final of the women’s discus will take place on Friday night at 8:20pm Berlin time (4.20am Saturday AEST).

Live coverage of day six continues on SBS One and SBS TWO from 2:00am and an evening highlights package will be on air on SBS TWO from 6:00-6:30pm.