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| Sunday, 29 August 2004 |
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Cooray to run in Marathon today Dinesh Weerawansa reporting from Greece ATHENS, Aug. 28. - China's Xiang Liu brushed aside the American, French and Cuban challenge to bag the gold medal in men's 110m hurdles with a new world and Olympic record on day 14 of the XXV111th summer Olympiad here. Thus, Liu became the first Asian to win this event in the 108-year-old Olympic history. Competing in the final of a decisive event, the 21-year-old lad from Beijing was the quickest in taking off the blocks and successfully met the challenge thrown by American Torrence Trammell, Cuban Anier Garcia and Jamaican Maurice Wignall. Xiang had a commanding speed in the last two hurdles to win in 12.91 seconds, ahead of Trammell (13.18) and Garcia (a season's best 13.20). It accounted for a new Olympic record, erasing the previous best of 12.95 set by American Allen Johnson in Atlanta eight years ago. Xiang Liu also equalled the world record for men's 110m hurdles - 12.91, held by Colin Jackson since 1993. Jackson's beat came at the IAAF World Championships in Stuttgart, 1993. Liu looked to have the perfect hurdling technique over the hurdles not hitting them, but going just narrowly over. Although he was the clear winner over the last hurdle, he produced a blazing fast flat until the finish line, and then continued with an immediate victory lap without a break. Liu, who took only the bronze medal at last year's IAAF World Championships in Paris, won last night's final at the Olympic Stadium with a huge margin of 0.27 seconds ahead of second-placed Trammell (13.18 seconds), who duplicated his silver medal position from Sydney 2000 Games. The victory margin of 0.27 seconds is the biggest since 1988 Seoul Olympics, where American gold medallist Roger Kingdom won in 12.98 to beat Jackson (13.28). The Chinese youngster, who came to the final as a favourite together with Frenchman Ladji Doucoure, both with identical personal best timings of 13.06 seconds, was already clear of the others over the first hurdle. This was despite a false start by Trammell and anyone could have been disqualified for a second false start. Liu thundered over the hurdles and was in the lead all the way to the finish. But the other favourite in the race - Doucoure, did not have the things that well after an unimpressive start. He continued hitting hurdles badly and finally crashed in to the ninth and tenth hurdles to end up almost falling down and finished last in 13.76. "Many things happened suddenly before the final. I wasn't thinking about the gold medal. I wanted to make the best performance I could. I hoped to be in the first three and was confident of that. But the gold medal was an unexpected one. I never thought I would be able to break 13 seconds and equal the world record, said Liu who had first started his career as a high jumper. Misfortune for Americans continued as their track queen of the last Sydney Games with three gold medals and two silver - Marion Jones, turned out to be totally off colour. Having fared poorly in women's long jump under a new coach a little over an hour ago, Jones' blunder in women's 4 x 100m relay not only cost the favourite USA team the gold but any placing. The USA had been launched on a fast rhythm by Angela Williams and Jones. The drama occurred in the second baton exchange between Jones and 100m Olympic silver medallist Laury Williams. It took several times for Jones to find Williams' hand, and the former track queen losing her balance in the process. This huge blunder left the American out of contention while Jamaica had still their two best sprinters in the launchpad, Aleen Bailey and Veronica Campbell, the gold medallist in women's 200m. Even a poor exchange between the twp could not stop Jamaica winning the gold medal in women's 4 x 100m in 41.73 (a new national record) while the USA never made to the finish. Russia (42.27) and France (42.54) won the silver and bronze respectively. About two hours before the US relay team's misfortune, Jones started her women's long jump event with a red flag waving due to an overstepping. In the second attempt, she jumped 6.85m but that was the best she had in the final as she went down 6.82 and 6.73 in the next two before another foul take off in her fifth attempt. A dejected Jones was then seen holding the fence and a few words of motivation from her coach. But that did not work out as she jumped even shorter, 6.63 in the final attempt to secure only the fifth place from the bronze medal she won at the last Games. In the meantime, Russian Tatyana Lebedeva lived up to expectations to take the gold with a top performance of 7.07m, which came in her second of the six attempts before she overstepped in the last go. It was a total Russian domination as her team mate, who cleared 7.05 in the very first attempt, bagged the silver and compatriot Tatyana Kotova the bronze with a season's best 7.05m. American Timothy Mack leaped to a new Olympic record height of 5.95m to win the gold medal in men's pole vault final, but Ukrainian Sergey Bubka's world record mark of 6.14m was still safe. Mack's team mate Toby Steveson won the silver with 5.90m and a season's best 5.85m was good enough for Italian Giuseppe Gibilisco to take the bronze medal. China's Huina Xing beat the throng Ethiopian challenge to win the gold medal in women's 10,000m final with a personal best timing of 30 minutes and 24.36 seconds. Ethiopians Ejegayehu Dibaba (30:24.98), Derartu Tulu (30:26.42) and Werknesh Kidane (30:28.20) won the second, third and fourth places respectively. Cuban Osleidys Menendez set a new Olympic record in women's javelin throw and narrowly missed the world record by just one centimetre. She cleared 71.53m to win the gold medal and erase the Olympic record of 68.91 held by Norwegian Trine Hattestad in Sydney 2000. German Steffi Nerius had a personal best 65.82 to take the silver while the bronze medal was won by Greek Mirela Manjani with a season's best 64.29. Poland's Robert Korzeniowski clocked three hours, 38 minutes and 46 seconds to win the gold medal in men's 50km walk. It was a test of endurance and will power as the Polish strategically planned out phases of his walk to reserve energy for the final leg. Russians Denis Nizhegorodov (3:42.50) and Aleksey Voyevodin (3:43.34) won the silver and bronze medals respectively. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Anuradha Indrajith Cooray is due to compete in men's Olympic marathon to be worked off tomorrow evening. I would commence at 6 p.m. (9pm SL time) on Sunday and would end at the old Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 1896 first ever modern Olympic Games. There will be a total of 113 competitors for the men's marathon. Cooray had a long work out at the marathon route in Rafina today and his coach Lakshman de Alwis said the lad should do well and secure a place within the top 15. |
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