Women's 100m Hurdles - Semi-Finals

In what turned out to be a cursed day for hurdlers, World Indoor record holder Susanna Kallur was the third athlete after Liu Xiang and Terrence Trammell this morning, to experience drama.

The 27-year-old European champion who was forced to cut her season short after the Oslo Golden League meeting in early June to recover from a hamstring injury in order to be healthy enough to be competitive here in Beijing did not fail through injury this time. She clipped the first barrier and crashed to the floor, her Olympic dream shattered in less than two seconds.

Ironically Kallur’s demise is reminiscent of former World champion Perdita Felicien’s at the Athens Olympic Games final when the Canadian tried to go too out hard only to clip the first hurdle. Not only did she fall she also knocked Irina Shevchenko of Russia in the process.

Here it was Vonette Dixon who was affected by the Swedish’s crash although the Jamaican did finish the race. After stumbling over the third hurdle, Dixon took too much time to recover her tempo and could only finish fifth.

Up front Damu Cherry and Dawn Harper, respectively second and third at the US Olympic Trials, scored a convincing one-two, Cherry prevailing by four hundredths of a second in 12.62.

"I noticed it (Kallur falling)," Harper said. "But as soon as I noticed it, my next hurdle was right there. Besides hitting one of the hurdles, that was a good race for me. The USA is ready and we can meet our expectations. It's about time."  

Jamaican champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton was next through the line in 12.76 ahead of Great Britain’s Sarah Claxton who held off Dixon’s desperate challenge in the run-in.

Running on the outside, World Indoor bronze medallist Anay Tejada was also thrown off as she lost her tempo half way through the race. The Cuban failed to finish.

After eventually coming to terms with her disappointment, Kallur finally stood up and walked towards the finish line trying to hold back tears under the supportive applaud of the crowd. In probably the kindest of gestures, Foster-Hylton waited for her and spared a few words which Kallur visibly appreciated as she even managed a smile at the TV camera.

"I guess I tried to much," commented Kallur. "I wanted to run too fast. For the first time this summer, I felt in really good shape. But I pushed too much. I hope I'll be back on the track again in a few weeks. It's not as bad (physically) as it is mentally."

The first of two semi finals had been much less eventful with US champion and World season leader Lolo Jones setting a new personal best 12.43, an impressive 24 hundredths of a second clear of Delloreen Ennis-London in second.

And Jones hadn’t even started well! Trailing up until the third hurdle, Jones was just head and shoulders above the rest of the field her race seeming effortless.

Jones evidently meant business tonight, a fact she confirmed when saying "when you put pressure on someone in the hurdles, they crack. I try to do that. (The time) means nothing. I'll forget about it and do much better. There's so many girls that I fear. It's anybody's race." 

Canadian champion Priscilla Lopes-Schliep took the third qualifying spot in 12.68 to match the achievement of compatriots Felicien and Angela Whyte, both finalists in Athens 2004.

Australian record holder Sally Gunnell only just managed to qualify in fourth upsetting Josephine Onyia, a disappointing fifth in 12.86 only two months after lowering her Spanish national record to 12.50.

With three Americans in the final, including the fastest in the world this year, the US sprint hurdlers look set to defend the title Joanna Hayes took in Athens 2004. And maybe also have a go at her Olympic record 12.37!

Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF