USA look for hurdles sweep
The United States’ hopes of a medals clean sweep in the 110 metres hurdles remained intact as all four of their hurdlers qualified for the final on Monday at the World Athletics Champion-ships.
Defending champion Jason Richardson timed 13.34 seconds to win a high class first semi-final in Moscow which involved all three Olympic medalists.
Richardson, 27 and who took silver at the Olympics, led from the off and had plenty to spare as he crossed the line ahead of Frenchman Thomas Martinot-Lagarde while Olympic champion Aries Merritt was third.
Jamaica’s Olympic bronze medalist Hansle Parchment looked set to qualify but hit the penultimate hurdle and, off balance, failed to clear the final one, falling to the track in despair.
Barbados’s 2009 world champion Ryan Brathwaite also failed to make the final as he finished last in the same semi-final.
Sanchez cruises, Greene struggles
Olympic champion Felix Sanchez’s bid to become the first man to win the 400 metres hurdles world title three times got off to the ideal start at the World Athletics Championships on Monday as he eased into the semi-finals.
While the 35-year-old from the Dominican Republic — who also won the Olympic title in 2004 — was on cruise control, Britain’s defending world champion Dai Greene struggled to even make Tuesday’s semi-finals.
The 27-year-old Welshman, who missed out on a medal by one spot in the Olympic final, said he had been suffering from a fever.
Sanchez, whose tears at the Olympic medal ceremony were one of the iconic moments of the Games as he sobbed at the memory of his late grandmother Lilian who brought him up, said it was too open a race to start making predictions.
“It’s bound to be a close race as we have all been close to one another this season,” said Sanchez, whose resistance to retiring during several years in the doldrums paid off handsomely.
“If I win here I will be the only man to have won this title three times (he won in 2001 and 2003) and if I win a medal I will have four (he won silver in 2007) and be the most decorated athlete in the event’s history.”
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