18.08.2009

Berlin 2009 - Day 4 - LIVE

Women's 100m hurdles - Heats

Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan lines up in heat three of the women's 100m hurdles. McLellan set a new national record in Monaco last month and a repeat of that 12.50 time is likely to be needed to be amongst the medals again. Alongside McLellan will be American Michelle Perry, who is attempting to win her third world title in a row.

Men's 400m - Heats - LIVE

2008 Olympic semi-finalist Joel Milburn is out in lane eight in heat three where perennial fourth-place getter Chris Brown (Bahamas) is the favourite. Milburn has a season's best of 45.83 and will need to finish in the top three to automatically qualify for the next round.

Olympic 4x400m silver medallist John Steffensen goes in heat four where he will take on Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt (USA) and former NCAA champ Gary Kikaya from the Democratic Republic of Congo. An interesting starter in the same heat is Alvin Harrison, who has changed his allegiance to the Dominican Republic after serving four years of ineligibility for admitted drug use. When representing the USA Harrison won the silver medal at the Sydney Olympic Games behind Michael Johnson.

Current national champion Sean Wroe will face off against British rival Martyn Rooney in the seventh and final heat. Rooney beat the Australian at the London Grand Prix in July although only just, as they shared a time of 45.63, and the 24-year-old Victorian will be keen to reverse that result here.

The first of the heats is complete with Brit Robert Tobin winning in 45.50. Milburn is the first of the Australians up in heat three.

Heat two has just been completed with Trinidad's Renny Quow, an Olympic finalist last year, winning in 45.21. As well as the first three in each heat, three will advance on times. Currently the third best after two heats is 45.92, so the Australians will need to be faster than that if they finish outside the first three.

Chris Brown is the likely winner of Milburn's heat having a season's best of 44.81.

Milburn has a huge run out in lane eight and enters the straight in front. Milburn runs a season's best 45.56 to hold onto third. Brown and Michael Bingham (GBR) just catch him on the line. Awesome run. He's through to the next round.

Steffensen has been battling injury this season. Let's hope he is healthy enough to get through. Another great run. Steffensen had Merritt on his outside and was just off his shoulder as they entered the straight. 45.37 for Steffensen and he too will automatically advance to the next round. That's not far outside his season's best of 45.28 he set at the Golden Gala in Rome in July.

The third of the men, Wroe, goes in the third. Let's make it three from three Sean.

He's out in lane eight just like Milburn. There's a break. Tabarie Henry (US Virgin Islands) is the form runner of this heat with a best and national record of 44.77 this year.

Wroe is out hard and leads at 200m. Henry takes the heat out in 45.14 and Wroe is second in 45.31. Three Australians through to the semi-finals tomorrow. An awesome result and the men are a real chance of making the final.

Wroe is confident of his chances in the semi-finals.

“I think it will definitely take a PB to get through, tomorrow is the ideal time to go sub-45 seconds. I know that I am capable of doing it and that if I go out and do what I do most championships and bring out my PB I’ll be pretty stiff to not make the final. That’s all I’ve got stuck in my head, just bring my PB out tomorrow.”

Milburn was pleased to find form at the right time. 

“It’s fantastic, probably the best place to do a season's best. I haven’t had the best preparation leading into these games but I’ve been training really well over the last month so I know it’s there, I just need to get out there and do it. It was definitely a good run for the first round.

“I’ve just got to get a good recovery now and make sure I get back here tomorrow with the game face on.”

Steffensen was happy to advance but is taking it it one race at a time.

“My fingers are crossed. The next two (rounds) are going to be hard ones.

“It’s been a tough year, fingers crossed. I have no expectations. It’s one a step at a time, one day at a time.”

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

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

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

Men's Discus - Qualification - LIVE

Twenty-six-year-old Victorian Benn Harradine missed the domestic season through injury but returned to his best in May when he threw 64.97m in Lugano, Switzerland.

Harradine, the national record-holder at 66.37m will face Olympic champion Gerd Kanter from Estonia in Group A. Kanter is attempting to defend the title he won in Osaka in 2007.

A throw of 64.50m will automatically advance to Wednesday's final.

Harradine is fourth in throwing order. Defending champion Kanter will throw second. Harradine starts peeling off the warm-up gear as he gets ready to throw. Some cheers go up for Kanter, who easily beats the automatic distance and is through to the final.

Now it's Harradine, who's keeping the long tights on for this morning's qualification. Not a bad opener, 60.73m. There are 15 throwers in this group to get through before his second attempt.

A better throw for Harradine, 61.74m. That puts him in eighth place in his group. The second group will go at 11.00am. Six athletes have already made the automatic mark of 64.50m.

Harradine has a chat to his coach in readiness for the third and final throw where he will need to get near his best throw this season.

Big cheers for Bolt who just ran his heat of the 200m. Harradine is not interested in watching as he sits and contemplates the task ahead of him.

Robert Hartung, Germany, has the biggest throw in the group so far with his first round mark of 66.81m. Hartung will be spurred on by the home crowd as he attempts to go one better than the silver he won in Osaka.

Harradine takes to the ring for his final attempt. A big moment for the Victorian. Not as far as his second throw. It's 60.79m. He will have to wait for the results of group B to see if he makes it through to the final.

Harradine receives applause from a group of teammates looking on that includes Commonwealth Games gold medallist Scott Martin and national shot put champion Justin Anlezark.

Group A is now complete and Harradine maintains his hold on ninth place with his second round throw of 61.74m. The second group will begin shortly, and we wait with anticipation to see if Harradine can make it through. If more than four throwers beat his distance then he will miss out. With throwers of the calibre of former world champion Virgilijus Alekna, and Polish Olympic silver medallist Piotr Malachowski, it's going to be tough.

Group B is underway and four throwers have already thrown further than Harradine so the 26-year-old will not advance. He finishes in 15th place.

Making the final was Harradine’s goal and it hurt not to get there: “It’s very disappointing. It’s been a great year, very consistent and no wind which was my goal. I would have loved to make the final but it just didn’t come out,” he said.

The Jump Start to London athlete was tense throughout the competition.

“My first throw I was killing the nerves which is always the hardest part,” he said.

“I warmed up well but you get the discus in your hand and things happen. I don’t know what it is but it comes down to experience. When you are at that top level like those guys that consistently throw 66m it’s easy, they just walk out, one throw and it’s just like any other day. For us, we’ve got to try and battle for those top 12 spots and when we don’t know if we have 66m or 68m in the bank, it’s a hard battle.” 

Benn knows to get to the top in his event he has plenty of work to do but is putting in the hard yards to get there.

“To get to the next level I need to work. I’ve pretty much sacrificed this year to work pretty hard over here in Germany and I feel like I have had a lot of benefit. I’ve been much more consistent in still air, you know, no wind. I need to work on my acceleration, that’s the key for me I think. I’m not overly strong, I’m not overly massive but I need to work on accelerating the discus at the end.”

To watch Benn Harradine's post-event interview click here

Women's High jump - Qualification - LIVE

Canberra-based Petrina Price enters the world championships in the form of her life having jumped a personal best of 1.94m at Cottbus, Germany just 10 days ago. She'll need to better that by one centimetre to automatically advance to the final as the qualification standard is 1.95m.

Price finds herself in same group as Ariane Friedrich who is Germany's best chance for a gold medal at these championships, having set a new national record of 2.06m in this arena at the Berlin Golden League last month.

If the 25-year-old Australian makes the final she will meet an old rival from her junior representative days, Blanka Vlasic (Croatia). Vlasic won gold in 2000 and 2002 where the Australian finished seventh and third respectively and has gone on to become one of the biggest names in athletics. Her duel with Friedrich is one of the most anticipated of the championships.

Price is the first of 16 jumpers in group B which will go ahead in the high jump pit adjacent to group A.

Also appearing in Price's group is in-form Italian Antonietta Di Martino and American veteran Amy Acuff, who is a six-time finalist at world champs.

Price, decked out in long socks, is just about to make her first attempt at the 1.80m starting height.

A great moment in the stadium for Australia with Price and Harradine both about to make their attempts.

Price is up and over on her first attempt at 1.80m. A good start as the big screen shows her doing some stretches post-jump.

Price makes her attempt at 1.85m on her first try. The bar will be raised to 1.89m.

Price getting ready for her first attempt at 1.89m. And over again on her first attempt. Great jumping. Price is no stranger to appearing on the world stage having represented Australia at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and world youth and junior championships.

The bar will now move to 1.92m, a height that Price negotiated for the only time this year on August 8 to show that she found form at the right time.

Officials just checking the bar as Price waits for the Milburn's 400m heat.

1.92m proves more of a challenge for the Australian than the earlier heights and she misses her first attempt. Three other jumpers have already gone over. This height looks to be the one to sort out the qualifiers.

Price misses and needs to get over on her third try although only eight have negotiated 1.92m so far and twelve will advance. So Price is a chance to make it through.

1.92m is too tough for Price today and she can't get over on her third attempt. She's currently equal 12th but 13 jumpers have another attempt at 1.92m. If one of them makes it, Price is out.

Russian Slesarenko makes it on her third and Price is out. Still, she should be happy with a return to her best this year after struggling for a few years to regain the form that had her jumping 1.90m as a 17-year-old.

At the end of high jump qualifying all the big names are through Friedrich, Vlasic, Ruth Beitia and Di Martino. Price has placed 17th with 1.89m.

Price savoured the chance to compete on the world stage again.

“I was out there and I was so excited to be out there and jumping again. Unfortunately 92 didn’t stay on so I’ll be upset if 92 gets into the final considering I jumped 94 a week and a half ago. I can walk away from these championships with my head held high. I did a PB a week and a half ago and this is the second comp in five years I have competed internationally in.

“I’ve learned that I’m back now and I’m ready to start my brand new career. After 2004 it was shattering to me. I learned a lot from that and in those five years I’ve learned a lot. Now I’m back, I’m ready to take on the girls now.

“I felt really good out there, training has been going really well. (Coach) Peter Lawler has done a terrific job in the last year with me to get me back here.”

To watch Petrina Price's post-race interview click here