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Flame five to feature on day five in Berlin
Five Australians will feature on day five of the 12th IAAF world championships in Berlin, with four members of the Flame in semi-finals action.
Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan returns to the Berlin Olympic Stadium track tonight for the semi-final and possibly final of the women’s 100m hurdles.
The event is set to be one of the closest fought battles of these world championships, with only one tenth of a second separating seven of the main challengers for the title.
By her own high standards, McLellan recorded a sluggish 12.82 in her opening heat and the Australian record-holder will be more determined than ever to bounce back tonight. She will race in the third and final semi alongside Olympic champion Dawn Harper of the United States. The first two from each semi plus the next two fastest will qualify for the final.
Olympic bronze medallist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (12.56), of Canada, was the fastest qualifier to progress to the next round, the heats also seeing dual world champion Michelle Perry (USA) make a surprise exit from the competition.
McLellan's semi-final will be shown LIVE on SBS TWO at 2:45am on Thursday (AEST). If she progresses to the final it will be broadcast live on SBS ONE at 5:15am on Thursday (AEST).
View Sally McLellan's post-race interview here.
Australia’s one-lap wonders Joel Milburn, Sean Wroe and John Steffensen showed in yesterday’s heats that they are in ominous form ahead of tonight’s much-anticipated 400m semi-finals. The first two across the line plus the next two fastest will qualify for Friday evening’s final and it would suggest that a sub-45 second performance will be required to make the grade.
Starting in lane seven, Milburn has been drawn in semi-final one, where he will be up against reigning world champion Jeremy Wariner of the USA. By his own admission, Milburn has not been in the greatest form this year, however he is renowned for being a big time performer and he proved that in the heats, smashing his season’s best to clock 45.56. Wariner (lane four), the Olympic silver medallist, has had a quiet year by his high standards but still holds the second-fastest time in the world (44.66) this year.
View Joel Milburn's post-race interview here.
Wroe, the reigning national champion, was the
fastest Australian (45.37) to progress to the next round and will
line up in lane six in semi-final two. Across in lane three,
LaShawn Merritt of the USA, the Olympic champion and current world
leader (44.50) will take to the blocks.
View Sean Wroe's post-race interview
here.
Steffensen, who has been battling a hamstring injury this year, will be endeavouring to make his second world championships final, his first coming in Helsinki in 2005 where he finished eighth. The Commonwealth Games champion, who clocked 45.37 in the heats, will face perennial podium threat Chris Brown from the Bahamas in the third and final semi.
View John Steffensen's post-race interview here.
In-form five-time national champion Dani Samuels, who has already claimed the scalps of the reigning Olympic and world champion this year, will take to the circle for the qualifying round of the women’s discus throw. The 21-year-old, who has a season’s best of 62.89m, will need to launch the discus over 61.50m to automatically qualify for Friday’s final.
FLAME ATHLETES COMPETING IN BERLIN
TODAY
Wednesday August 19, 2009 – Day 5
Morning session
11:40 (10:40 AEST): Discus throw
Qualification - Dani Samuels
Afternoon session
18:15 (02:15 AEST): 400m
Semi-finals - Joel Milburn, John Steffensen, Sean
Wroe
18:45 (02:45 AEST): 100m hurdles Semi-finals -
Sally McLellan
21:15 (05:15 AEST): 100m
hurdles Final - Sally McLellan
TELEVISION COVERAGE
The 12th IAAF world
championships will be broadcast LIVE from Berlin on SBS ONE and SBS
TWO, along with daily highlights programs. All times listed below
are in AEST.
Thursday August 20, 2009 (AEST)
SBS ONE
02:00-04:30: Live discus throw (M), 1500m (M), 100m hurdles (W),
800m (W)
SBS TWO
02:00-06:00: Live
18:00-18:30 Evening highlights
Note: McLellan's 100m hurdles semi-final will
be shown live on SBS TWO at 2:45am. If she progresses to the final
it will be shown live on SBS ONE at 5.15am.
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