Former World Youth champion Ladji Doucouré was the first ray of light in a so far disappointing French team.
The 21-year-old former Decathlete – European Junior gold in 2001 – won the opening heat of the men’s 110m Hurdles in a new personal best and national record of 13.18 – the fastest time of the day.
Despite the early hour and cutting his effort in the run-in, the fourth place finisher at the 2003 World Indoor Championships Doucouré still managed to improve the 18-year-old French record of Stéphane Caristan by 2 hundredths of a second.
A semi-finalist at last year’s World Championships, Doucouré preceded European silver medallist Stanislavs Olijars of Latvia whose second-place 13.27 effort didn’t seem to take much effort either.
Helped by a 1.5m/s tail wind Satoru Tanigawa of Japan and Joseph Berlioz Randriamihaja of Madagascar also set national records of 13.39 and 13.46 respectively. But while the Asian managed to hold on to third, the African was out-dipped by World Championships finalist Marcio Souza of Brazil who came back in the finishing stages of the race after badly clipping the third hurdle.
Both Souza (13.43) and Randriamihaja advanced to tomorrow’s second round.
US Trials champion Terrence Trammell, the defending silver medallist, was surprisingly never in contention for the leading positions in the second heat. If that had been a pre-race tactics it looked a bit scary for the 25-year-old World Championships runner-up who came a distant fifth in 13.51.
With only four athletes automatic qualifying, Trammell had to wait another 30 minutes before having the certainty that he would advance to the second round with the third fastest losing time.
In the mean-time the American had to watch his former compatriot Dudley Dorival of Haiti qualify out-right. The Edmonton bronze medallist won the race in a season’s best time of 13.39 ahead of the first of three Cubans Yoel Hernandez (13.41) and Jamaica’s Christopher Pinnock (13.42).
Another former American, Todd Matthews Jouda now running for Sudan set a national record of 13.47 in fourth.
Asian champion and record holder Xiang Liu had a much better first round in what marks his Olympics debut. Following the opening false start of Luis Sa of Portugal, Xiang stormed out of the blocks with a tantalizing reaction time of 0.128 and never lost control of his technique until he crossed the line in a relaxed 13.27.
Canada’s Charles Allen (13.35), Robert Kronberg of Sweden (13.47) and Igor Peremota of Russia (13.54) were the remaining automatic qualifiers but their performances were somewhat overshadowed by the Chinese’s display of talent.
Talent was certainly not missing in heat four as four-time World champion Allen Johnson used his ten-year international experience to advance to the next round making the least possible efforts.
Johnson clipped six hurdles on his way to the tape and was still ahead of the field as he dramatically slowed down in the final 30 metres letting Paulo Villar of Colombia savour the sweet taste of victory. The South American set a new national record of 13.44 and couldn’t contain his delight.
Brazil’s Mateus Inocencio also out-dipped Johnson with both men being awarded the same time of 13.45. In fourth Yevgeniy Pechonkin, husband of 400m Hurdles World record holder Yuliya Pechonkina, also advanced.
It was such a delightful sight to watch defending Olympic champion Anier Garcia return to his best shape after the Cuban missed out on the 2003 season through injury. The 28-year-old ran his fastest time of the year following a blistering start and a powerful 70 metres. Cutting his effort in the run-in Garcia stopped the clock at 13.24 well clear of American Duane Ross in second (13.39) who also reduced his speed dramatically.
Yet another national record was set with Stephen Jones of Barbados finishing in fourth in 13.56, just three hundredths of a second off Mike Fenner of Germany in third.
The fifth and final heat saw the first four at the tape run their best time of the year. The win went to World Indoor bronze medallist Maurice Wignall who led a one-two finish for Jamaica. Wignall’s 13.30 was the result of a faultless display and a mastered technique over the hurdles.
21-year-old Richard Phillips improved his personal best to 13.39 in second while Jackson Quinonez of Ecuador, a semi-finalist at last year’s World Championships, set a new national record of 13.44 in third.
The third Cuban to make the cut, Yuniel Hernandez equalled his season’s best time 13.48 to finish fourth.
Amazingly no fewer than 11 national records were set with the slowest athlete in this morning’s heat Edy Jakariya lowering his own Indonesian record from 14.29 to 14.11.
LA
