Organisers of the Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, have announced a high-powered 60m hurdles showdown for the seventh edition of the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting on 17 February.
World champion Grant Holloway heads the field. The 23-year-old US sprint hurdler, who sits at third on the world indoor all-time list for the 60m hurdles with his North American record of 7.35, will be contesting his first ever indoor race outside of the USA.
He will face world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi, who hopes to pick up the momentum he built during the indoor season last year before the global coronavirus pandemic put a brakes on the international sports calendar.
Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega of Spain will also be in Torun. He won in Torun in 2017, clocking a Spanish and meeting record of 7.48, and in 2019. His outdoor PB of 12.94 is the fastest of the field.
Local eyes will focus on Damian Czykier, the fourth-place finisher in the 110m hurdles at the 2018 European Championships, who improved to 7.54 over the indoor distance in 2020.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Calendar &ndash; World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold</h3>
29 Jan &ndash; Karlsruhe, Germany 9 Feb &ndash; Lievin, France 13 Feb &ndash; Boston, USA 17 Feb &ndash; Torun, Poland 24 Feb &ndash; Madrid, Spain
-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results?startDate=2021-01-01&amp;endDate=2021-03-11&amp;competitionGroupId=3677" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full calendar of all Gold, Silver and Bronze World Athletics Indoor Tour meetings </a>-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/information/organizer-details" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gold meeting organiser details and disciplines per meeting</a>

Organisers of the Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, have announced a high-powered 60m hurdles showdown for the meeting's seventh edition on 17 February.

Holloway leads high power hurdles showdown in Torun

Orlando Ortega was one of four athletes to break a meeting record at the Meeting de Marseille, clocking 13.15 to win the 110m hurdles at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event on Thursday (3).
The Olympic silver medallist from Spain maintained his unbeaten streak this outdoor season, following victories in Monaco, Szekesfehervar and Chorzow. The other meeting records, meanwhile, came from Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich in the men&rsquo;s 800m, Laura Muir in the women&rsquo;s 800m and Jemma Reekie in the women&rsquo;s 1500m.
Ortega, competing in the final event of the evening, got out well in lane five, but so too did Wilhem Belocian on Ortega&rsquo;s right-hand side. European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde wasn&rsquo;t quite so good out of the blocks and couldn&rsquo;t get back on terms with the leading duo.
Ortega and Belocian were level until the final few barriers when Ortega started to edge ahead. By the finish line, reached in 13.15, Ortega was a metre clear of Belocian, who clocked 13.27, the third-fastest time of his career.
Cheruiyot Rotich timed his run well to take victory in the 800m. The world bronze medallist from Kenya sat in the middle of the pack as pacemakers led the field through the first lap in about 50 seconds. Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles was the only athlete to go with the pace while Cheruiyot Rotich was about a second behind.
The Kenyan gradually closed the gap on the second lap, though, and eventually passed Giles on the final bend before going on to win in a meeting record of 1:44.24, moving to fourth on this year&rsquo;s world list. Giles was rewarded with a PB of 1:44.68 in second.
Reekie, the world leader over 800m, moved up to the 1500m in Marseille and came away with another victory. Paced through the first two laps in 2:09.63, Romania&rsquo;s Claudia Bobocea took up the running for the second half and went through 1000m in 2:42.73.
Reekie kicked on the final lap and overtook Bobocea with about 230 metres to go. The Romanian dug in and drew level with Reekie as they came off the final turn, but the Briton kicked again and opened up a gap before crossing the line in 4:02.20, a four-second improvement on the meeting record and just 0.11 shy of the outdoor PB she set last year.
Bobocea clocked 4:02.67 in second while Slovenia&rsquo;s Marusa Mismas set a PB of 4:03.05 in third.
European 1500m champion Laura Muir, Reekie&rsquo;s training partner, stepped down in distance to the 800m and produced a dominant display to win by more than a second in 2:00.16, another meeting record.
Steeplechase specialist Soufiane El Bakkali, the 2017 world silver medallist from Morocco, also fancied a change of events in Marseille and lined up for the men&rsquo;s 1500m, his first outing over the distance for four years.
He wound up the pace over the final two laps and went on to win comfortably in 3:34.51. Azeddine Habz of France was second in a big PB of 3:35.87 while 800m specialist Kevin Lopez of Spain was third in 3:35.98.
Elsewhere, Akani Simbine won the men&rsquo;s 100m in 10.19 (-0.3m/s), while French teenager Cyrena Samba-Mayela won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in 13.00. Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova took the women&rsquo;s long jump with 6.66m (0.5m/s).
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Orlando Ortega was one of four athletes to break a meeting record at the Meeting de Marseille, clocking 13.15 to win the 110m hurdles at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event on Thursday (3).

Ortega leads meeting record spree in Marseille

Organisers of the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais have confirmed that sprint hurdlers Orlando Ortega and Pascal Martinot Lagarde, long jumpers Ese Brume and Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk and Ethiopian distance runner Selemon Barega will compete at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Lievin on 19 February.
Ortega and Martinot-Lagarde, joint bronze medallists at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, have been racing one another for the past decade. Ortega, the Olympic silver medallist, has the slightly faster outdoor PB at 12.94, but European champion Martinot-Lagarde has the better indoor record, having reached the podium in seven of his eight major indoor championships appearances. He also won in Lievin last year.
Bekh-Romanchuk and Brume were separated by just one centimetre at last year&rsquo;s World Championships as Bekh-Romanchuk took silver with 6.92m and Brume the bronze with 6.91m. Brume, the three-time African champion, has only contested one indoor competition to date but is a 7.05m jumper outdoors at her best. Bekh-Romanchuk, meanwhile, is the European bronze medallist indoors and silver medallist outdoors.
Barega, meanwhile, will be returning to the scene of his indoor 3000m PB. The Ethiopian ran 7:36.64 in Lievin in 2018, a time that puts him third on the world U20 indoor all-time list. Now embarking on his first year as a senior athlete, the world 5000m silver medallist will be targeting another fast time on 19 February.
With one month to go until the competition, organisers announced late last week that the meeting is already sold out.

Organisers of the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais have confirmed that sprint hurdlers Orlando Ortega and Pascal Martinot Lagarde, long jumpers Ese Brume and Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk and Ethiopian distance runner Selemon Barega will compete at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Lievin on 19 February.

World medallists set to feature in hurdles, 3000m and long jump in Lievin

World indoor champion Samuel Tefera clocked a 3:35.57 world lead in the 1500m to highlight the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, the third stop on the 2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour, on Wednesday (6).
Running on the shoulder of compatriot Aman Wote for much of the race, the 19-year-old Ethiopian took the lead with 300 metres to go and was never threatened, cruising to an impressive win in his 2019 debut.
"I felt very strong," the understated teenager said, minutes after succeeding another compatriot, Yomif Kejelcha, as the world leader. "It was a very good race."
That too, was an understatement.
Wote and Tefera shot to the front from the gun, running in the shadow of the pacesetter but for most of the first 1200 metres. But Tefera looked impatient with the tempo, even as the pair stretched their lead ahead of a strung out chase pack that included Polish record holder Marcin Lewandowski.
The Pole used his strong 800m speed to eat up the deficit in the race's second half, moving up from fifth to second with two laps remaining. But it wasn't enough to challenge Tefera, who improved his lifetime best from 3:36.05.&nbsp;
"The opening was a little slow," Tefera said. "I was expecting faster."
That chance may come in his next race in Li&eacute;vin, France, on Sunday (10).
Lewandowski was next in 3:36.50 to clip 0.87 from his own national record, a performance rewarded by a long victory lap and celebratory singalong with the capacity crowd of 5200 joining in.
Kalle Berglund of Sweden was third, his 3:36.63 also a national indoor record.
<h3>Ortega sizzles 7.49</h3>
This was the fifth edition of the Copernicus Cup and its third as a part of the IAAF World Indoor Tour, a series of the six finest indoor meetings on the planet, in which athletes compete for points in designated tour disciplines. Nine were on the programme in Torun, with world leads emerging in one and equalled in another. 
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Orlando Ortega wins the 60m hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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Seventy-five minutes after cruising through his heat in a season&rsquo;s best of 7.55, Orlando Ortega got off to a cautious start in the final, before forging to a clear lead by the third hurdle. He then powered on, adding to his advantage over the final two barriers before blasting towards and across the line in 7.49 to equal the world lead. The Olympic silver medallist's winning time also equalled the third fastest of his career.
He'll be back in action in Madrid on Friday.
Milan Trajkovic of Cyprus started quick and held his form to finish second in 7.54, beating Jarret Eaton of the US into third. Eaton, the world indoor silver medallist last year, clocked 7.60.
<h3>Alemu holds off Muir in 800m thriller</h3>
The women's 800m was billed as an assault on Ajee Wilson's 1:59.26 world lead, and more specifically for Laura Muir, on the 1:58.43 British record held by Jenny Meadows since the 2010 World Indoor Championships. The race may have fallen a little short on those counts, but wasn't bereft of drama. 
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Habitam Alemu wins a close 800m at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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Habitam Alemu, the fourth-place finisher at last year's World Indoor Championships, looked strong from the gun, choosing to run close to the pacesetter while Muir, biding her time, settled into mid-pack.
Running fifth behind the pacesetter at 200m, Muir moved up a spot with each subsequent lap until she tucked in behind Alemu at the bell. But even as Muir chipped away at the deficit over the final lap, the Ethiopian held firm, fighting off the Briton's challenge over the waning metres and through to the line. Alemu clocked 1:59.49, just 0.01 ahead of Muir. Both were rewarded with personal bests.
Poland's Sofia Ennaoui, whose strengths lie at longer distances, was third in 2:00.40 with Selina Buchel of Switzerland, the two-time defending European indoor champion, was fourth in 2:00.98.
<h3>Echevarria improves to 8.12m</h3>
World indoor champion Juan Miguel Echevarria wasn't the picture of consistency in his second competition of the season, but was nonetheless pleased with his first victory of the year. 
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Juan Miguel Echevarria in the long jump at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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The 20-year-old Cuban's start was promising, opening with an 8.12m season's best to quickly dispose of the 7.98m meeting record set by Li Jinzhe four years ago. But then frustrations set in: a pair of fouls and a pass before he closed with two more measured efforts after take-offs well behind the board.
His first-round effort was still well ahead of Swede Thobias Nilsson Montler, the winner in Karslruhe, who reached 7.97m in the second round. Pole Tomasz Jaszczuk was third with 7.87m, a season's best.
<h3>Swoboda and Maslak take sprint contests</h3>
There was drama too in the women's 60m with world leader Ewa Swoboda prevailing, despite arriving with a head cold. 
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Ewa Swoboda wins the 60m at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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The Pole got out reasonably well, building a small margin on Marie-Josee Ta Lou, the world indoor silver medallist, about 20 metres into the race. Ta Lou got into her stride 20 metres later, but couldn't quite catch Swoboda, who took the victory on the lean by a scant 0.01 in 7.15.
Further back, Imani Lansiquot of Great Britain was third in 7.23.
Pavel Maslak looked like the three-time world 400m champion that he is, with his first commanding performance of the season. The Czech took control from the break and never relented en route to a 46.19 win, a season&rsquo;s best. 
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Pavel Maslak on his way to winning the 400m at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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Slovenia's Luka Janezic, the fastest in the field coming in, overtook Pole Karol Zalewski over the final 30 metres to finish second in 46.46.
In the first heat, Nathan Strother, the Boston World Indoor Tour leg winner, took the lead just after the midway point en route to his convincing victory in 46.32 to finish second overall. He was nearly a second clear of Poland's Rafal Omelko, who clocked 47.24.
<h3>Schwanitz edges Dubitskaya in shot put</h3>
The meeting got underway with the women's shot put where Christina Schwanitz collected her third victory of the season in four starts. But the German didn't really find her groove until the fifth round when she threatened the 19-metre line with an 18.97m effort to wrestle the lead from Belarusian Aliona Dubitskaya, who controlled the competition from her 18.84m effort in the round two. She went down fighting too, reaching 18.91m with her final throw. 
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Christina Schwanitz, winner of the shot put at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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Behind them, Jessica Ramsey of the US reached an 18.73m lifetime best to finish third.
Elsewhere on the infield, authorised neutral athlete Ilya Ivanyuk won the high jump at 2.25m.
<h3>Kendricks takes pole vault showdown</h3>
Off of the World Indoor Tour programme, Sam Kendricks prevailed in his showdown against Pole Piotr Lisek, topping 5.78m on his second attempt. The world champion then went out after three tries - one reasonably close - at a would-be meeting record of 5.92m. Lisek topped out at 5.68m to finish second. 
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Sam Kendricks, winner of the pole vault at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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The women's 60m hurdles was nearly as close as the men's, with Germany's Pamela Dutkiewicz taking the win in 7.95, 0.03 ahead of Finn Reetta Hurske.
Like Swoboda, Erik Sowinski didn&rsquo;t let a head cold ruin his visit to Torun, turning in his first victory of the season with a smart front-running performance in the men&rsquo;s 800m. Tailing the pacer for the opening two laps, the 2016 world indoor bronze medallist led for the remaining 400 metres, holding off Moroccan Mostafa Smaili by 0.21 in 1:47.49. Poland's Mateusz Borkowski was third in 1:47.78. 
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Pamela Dutkiewicz (centre), eventual winner of the 60m hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting in Torun</div>
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Iga Baumgart-Witan led a 1-2 for Poland in the women's 400m, holding off European outdoor champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic's late race challenge in 51.91, a personal best. Swiety-Ersetic clocked 52.14.
The IAAF World Indoor Tour resumes on Friday (8) in Madrid.&nbsp;
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

World indoor champion Samuel Tefera clocked a 3:35.57 world lead in the 1500m to highlight the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, the third stop on the 2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour, on Wednesday (6).

Tefera clocks 3:35.57 world lead in Torun 

In his previous two competitions on British soil, Christian Coleman beat Usain Bolt twice (semi-final and final) en route to world outdoor 100m silver in London twelve months ago and smashed Maurice Greene&rsquo;s championship record as he sped to world indoor 60m gold in Birmingham in March.
This time, back in Birmingham for the Muller Grand Prix, the 12th IAAF Diamond League meeting of the year &ndash; the last before the finals in Zurich and Brussels &ndash; the 22-year-old US speed merchant was simply relieved to return to action with a victory.
After getting the jump on his 100m rivals with a vastly superior pick up, Coleman slowly ran out of gas over the final 20 metres and appeared to be caught on the line as Reece Prescod reprised the grandstand finish that took him to within 0.01 of gold and his British team-mate Zharnel Hughes at the European Championships in Berlin last week.
It took a prolonged pause, and microscopic scrutiny of the photo finish picture, before Coleman was declared the winner. Both men were given the same time, 9.94 (+0.5). The actual difference was 0.001 &ndash; 9.938 to 9.939.
Coleman&rsquo;s US team-mate Noah Lyles, joint world leader with 9.88, was a relatively detached third in 9.98 &ndash; with former world champion Yohan Blake fourth in 9.99 and Hughes fifth in 10.05.
&ldquo;It was a sigh of relief because you never know what to expect when you come back from injury,&rdquo; confessed Coleman.
Like his first comeback of the season, after six weeks out with hamstring trouble, it was a winning return. In the Rabat Diamond League on 13 July he sneaked victory ahead of Baker, both men clocking 9.98.
Happily, after a recurrence of hamstring trouble in warm up at the London Diamond League, that season&rsquo;s best has now been improved by 0.04.
&ldquo;I got my rhythm back and I came out with the win in a good time,&rdquo; he reflected. &ldquo;I was looking forward to competing and the win is the icing on the cake.
&ldquo;It's been a test for me to continually prove myself but I'll use this as a learning experience, now it's about winning the Diamond League final.&rdquo;
That will be in Brussels on 31 August, when Coleman will have to contend with the impressive Prescod again.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just missed out again but I can&rsquo;t complain because I&rsquo;ve come away with another PB,&rdquo; said the Briton.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll put the work in to get ready for the Diamond League final. That will be a great race. All the best in the world come together and everyone is on form.&rdquo;
<h3>Ortega impresses with powerful high hurdles run</h3>
With a swirling wind to contend with for most of the afternoon, there were no world leads but Spain&rsquo;s Orlando Ortega shot to number two spot in the 110m hurdles with a superbly judged performance, powering clear over the second half to win in 13.08 (+1.3). Only Sergey Shubenkov (12.92) has gone quicker in 2018.
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Orlando Ortega powers to an impressive victory in Birmingham</div>
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&ldquo;I'm much happier with the time, but I am a little angry because if I ran like this at the European Championships I would have won gold,&rdquo; said Ortega, who took bronze in Berlin.
Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, the Frenchman who took gold in the German capital, had to settle for third in 13.27, with Jamaica&rsquo;s Ronald Levy runner up in 13.22.
<h3>Korir goes sub 1:43 again</h3>
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Another impressive Diamond League outing for Emmanuel Korir, this time in Birminghan</div>
&nbsp;
The 800m was also an impressively brisk affair, Bram Som leading the field through halfway in 50.2, before Kenyan champion Jonathan Kitalit tried to stretch away from Emmanuel Korir &ndash; only for his compatriot to power past 70m out to win in 1:42.80, not quite as stunning as his 1:42.05 in the London Diamond League but a meet record nonetheless. Kitilit was runner up in 1:43.53 and world 1500m champion Elijah Manangoi third in a PB 1:44.15.
<h3>Kerley collects second Diamond League win of the season</h3>
As the eight men in the 400m rounded into the home straight, there was the surreal sight of the world and Olympic triple jump champion leading the way.
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Birmingham 400m winner Fred Kerley</div>
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Christian Taylor stayed in front until some 60 metres out, not quite replicating Matt Hudson-Smith&rsquo;s blast off and hang on tactics from the European Championships. Hudson-Smith edged in front at that point but the Briton did not have quite enough in the tank to close it out on his home track as US training partners Fred Kerley and Paul Dedewo launched their attacks.
Kerley, out of commission since his win in Rome in June, snatched his second Diamond League victory of the season, crossing the line in 45.54 with Hudson-Smith a close second in 45.59 and Dedewo third in 45.62.
Taylor took fourth in 45.78 &ndash; well down on the impressive 45.07 PB he notched in Hengelo but ahead of a clutch of top-notch specialist quarter milers, with 2012 Olympic silver medallist Luguelin Santos fifth in 45.81, European bronze medallist Jonathan Borlee sixth in 46.27 and newly crowned African champion Baboloki Thebe seventh in 46.35. Thebe's Botswanan team-mate Isaac Makwala was a notable non-starter.
<h3>Kipruto cruises, after lending a hand</h3>
With his great Moroccan rival Soufiane El Bakkali scratching before the start, Conseslus Kipruto lined up clear favourite for the 3000m steeplechase. The reigning world, Olympic and African champion duly delivered the victory &ndash; despite offering a consoling hand after fellow Kenyan Benjamin Kigen stumbled at the final water-jump and allowing Ethiopia&rsquo;s Chala Beyo to temporarily pass him in the home straight.
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Conseslus Kipruto in Birmingham</div>
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Securing his spot in the Diamond League final, Kipruto prevailed in 8:14.33, with Beyo second in 8:14.61 and Kigen regaining his composure to cross the line fifth in 8:17.43.
Also on the track, the 66th running of the non-scoring Emsley Carr Mile produced an Australian victory for the first time, Stewart McSweyn sprinting past his fellow-countryman and training partner Ryan Gregson some 40m from the line to win in 3:54.60. In doing so, the 23-year-old became only the third winner of the classic four lap event from Oceania, following New Zealanders Murray Halberg and John Walker, Olympic champions both.
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Birmingham mile winner Stewart McSweyn</div>
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<h3>Starc improves to 2.33m</h3>
There was also a notable Australian victory in the field. Commonwealth champion Brandon Starc, brother of celebrated Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc, cleared a PB 2.33m for his first Diamond League victory &ndash; ahead of Canada&rsquo;s Michael Mason and NACAC champion Jeron Robinson of the US, who both jumped 2.30m.
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Brandon Starc tops a personal best 2.33m to win in Birmingham</div>
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European silver medallist Andreas Hoffman nailed an 89.82m throw to win the javelin. His German team-mate Julian Weber took second with 86.63m, with Estonia&rsquo;s European bronze medallist Magnus Kirt third (85.31m) and Germany&rsquo;s Olympic and European champion Thomas Rohler down in fourth (84.33m).
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Luvo Manyonga sails to a meeting record in Birmingham</div>
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The men&rsquo;s long jump produced an equally impressive winner, South Africa&rsquo;s world and Commonwealth champion Luvo Manyuonga prevailing with a meeting record leap of 8.53m. In his final track and field competition, former world, Olympic, European champion Greg Rutherford jumped 7.43 for eighth place.
Simon Turnbull for the IAAF

Coleman takes Birmingham 100m showdown - IAAF Diamond League

It&rsquo;s not just the gold medallists who gain valuable experience from competing at the IAAF World U20 Championships. Many athletes who exit the championships in the heats or qualifying rounds go on to become stars of the sport in their senior years.
Olympic 110m hurdles silver medallist Orlando Ortega of Spain looks back eight years to his fleeting appearance at the 2010 World U20 Championships in Moncton.
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<h3>Background</h3>
Few events in athletics can so cruelly rip apart dreams than the sprint hurdles &ndash; as Orlando Ortega can attest
When he lined up for the heats of the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles at the 2010 World U20 Championships, he was among the potential medal favourites, yet less than four seconds later his quest had abruptly unravelled.
Clobbering hurdle one and thrown badly off balance, he crashed through the second barrier before slamming to the floor after the third hurdle, his hopes and ambitions in tatters.
&ldquo;At that moment I felt very sad and angry with myself because I was sure that I was in good shape to fight for a medal,&rdquo; explains Ortega, who represented his country of birth, Cuba, at that competition. &ldquo;After this happened, it felt like my world had come crashing down.&rdquo;
Ortega, who back then was coached by the influential Cuban hurdles coach Santiago Antunez, the man who guided Dayron Robles to 2008 Olympic 110m hurdles gold, had approached the competition in Moncton in the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick in great shape.
That season he had twice set a PB of 13.45 for the 110m hurdles (at the 99cm U20 height) and he went into what was his first competition outside of Cuba ranked fourth and among the main medal contenders.
&ldquo;The main aim before every major championship is, in the first instance, to reach the final,&rdquo; says Ortega. &ldquo;Then, once in the final, the aim is to try to make it on to the podium.
&ldquo;It was my first time overseas and I was very nervous and very excited.&rdquo;
<h3>Competition memories</h3>
Aged 18 at the time, he has only good memories of the city and being part of a small but successful Cuban team, which finished fourth on the medals table after winning three gold medals &ndash; Dailenys Alcantara in the triple jump, Irisdaymi Herrera in the long jump and Yaime Perez in the discus &ndash; plus one silver medal.
&ldquo;It was a good experience and the competition was of a high level,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I remember some good performances by the Trinidadian athletes (led by 400m hurdles gold medallist Jehue Gordon).&rdquo;
Competing in the second heat of the 110m hurdles, and the quickest in the six-strong field, Ortega remembers his blocks were not quite right.
&ldquo;It is normal to feel nervous before a competition and psychologically I felt well prepared,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I felt the starting block was in a bad position before the race and I think that is why I crashed into the first hurdle.&rdquo;
By hurdle three, his World U20 Championship quest was at an end.
Ortega recalls watching France&rsquo;s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, the No.3-ranked 110m hurdler coming into the competition, strike gold in the final. Although Ortega was bitterly disappointed with his personal display, his focus quickly switched to the next big competition: the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara.
There he enjoyed great success, winning a surprise 110m hurdles bronze medal in 13.30 behind Robles, and so announced his arrival as a top-class hurdler.
In 2012 Ortega finished sixth in the 110m hurdles final at the Olympic Games in London and in 2015 set a blistering personal best of 12.94 in Paris, before the following year earning Olympic silver in Rio.
<h3>Lessons learned</h3>
Today aged 26, the adopted Spanish athlete is among the world&rsquo;s best sprint hurdlers, but does he ever reflect back on what he learned from his World U20 Championships mishap?
&ldquo;I think I learned to focus and concentrate more in order to produce a better race,&rdquo; he explains.
It also taught him the unpredictable nature of the sprint hurdles. And for the athletes set to compete at the IAAF World U20 Championships Tampere 2018, he offers some words of wisdom.
&ldquo;The most important thing,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;is to enjoy yourself and try not to feel under too much pressure to do your best.&rdquo;
Steve Landells for the IAAF

It’s not just the gold medallists who gain valuable experience from competing at the IAAF World U20 Championships. Many athletes who exit the championships in the heats or qualifying rounds go on to become stars of the sport in their senior years.

Teen trials to senior success – Orlando Ortega

Spain&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega says that earning a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games was one of the pivotal moments in his development.
&nbsp;
<hr />
&nbsp;
&ldquo;One of the best moments of my life was winning the 2011 Pan American Games bronze medal. For me, it represented the start of my career as a professional athlete.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was aged just 20 at the time and it meant a lot to me because I was competing alongside my best friend, training partner and mentor, Dayron Robles (the 2008 Olympic 110m hurdles champion). The previous year I&rsquo;d competed at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Moncton, but it proved a disappointing experience because I fell and did not finish in my heat.
&ldquo;I remember I had prepared for the 2011 Pan American Games so well under my coach, Santiago Antunez, a period which helped set me up for the rest of my career. As soon as I arrived in Guadalajara, everything was incredible &ndash; from the people, the city, the organisation of the competition. It was such a beautiful city for me.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect to make the final, but I won my heat in 13.33 (just 0.04 short of his PB set the previous month in Havana) to qualify for the final from lane eight. It was incredible to be competing like this against the top senior athletes. My team was even predicting a Cuban one-two in the final with Dayron winning gold and me the silver.
&ldquo;I remember having some problems with my starting blocks in the final and at about hurdle seven fighting with Paulo Villar of Colombia for the silver medal, thinking, &lsquo;oh, my gosh, I can win a medal&rsquo;. When I crossed the finish line, there was the three of us (including Robles and Villar) ahead of the rest so I knew I had won a medal (Ortega recorded 13.30 for bronze). It was a beautiful moment for me and my family.
&ldquo;It was special to stand on the podium with Dayron. He is my friend, brother and still a mentor to me today. I remember returning to Cuba and celebrating with a big family party.
&ldquo;My grandmother, Cristina Hechavarria, died when I was young but she was an inspiration to me as a former international athlete. This medal still sits at her house (still home to Ortega&rsquo;s grandfather). In fact, I keep all my medals at that house.&rdquo;
Steve Landells for the IAAF

Spain’s Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega says that earning a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games was one of the pivotal moments in his development.

That moment when… Ortega won his first international medal 

For many athletes who competed at the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf on Wednesday, the IAAF World Indoor Tour will continue just a few hours down the Autobahn at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on Saturday (4).
After Dusseldorf provided six world-leading performances on the track, three of which came in the men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles, more fireworks can be expected over the barriers.
The men&rsquo;s field includes Orlando Ortega, who outdipped Frenchman Dimitri Bascou for the win in the world-leading 7.51 in Dusseldorf. The latter was due to line-up on Saturday, but an injury sustained during his dive for the line has ruled him out of a rematch. But even with the Olympic bronze medallist&rsquo;s absence, the field is impressive nonetheless.
Andrew Pozzi recorded an early world lead of 7.56 in Cardiff last Saturday and will be lining up alongside Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, who bettered the Briton&rsquo;s mark by 0.02 in the heats in Karlsruhe. European U23 champion David Omoregie, the youngest in the field, opened his season with a PB 7.68 last weekend and is looking to make his mark on the senior circuit.
On the women&rsquo;s side, a non-scoring event on the tour, the field reads like a hurdles history lesson. 100m hurdles world record holder Keni Harrison will face Susanna Kallur, who set the 60m hurdles world record of 7.68 at this very meeting nine years ago. Harrison already leads the world at 7.75 from her season opener in Kentucky last month, while Kallur was due to race at the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm last weekend, but had to pull out due to a slight illness.&nbsp;
World silver and bronze medallists Cindy Roleder and Alina Talay will have their own rematch from Wednesday night, where both clocked 7.95 season&rsquo;s bests with Roleder given the win. 2012 Olympic champion Sally Pearson will be celebrating her long-awaited return from injury to the international circuit.
<h3>World leaders look to extend tour leads</h3>
Another of the six Olympic medallists featuring in Karlsruhe is Hellen Obiri. The 5000m silver medallist from Rio recorded a world-leading 8:39.08 over 3000m on the first leg of the IAAF World Indoor Tour in Boston last Saturday and will be looking to extend her lead in the tour rankings.&nbsp;
Challenging the Kenyan will be Britain&rsquo;s Laura Muir. The 23-year-old clocked a 14:49.12 WL over 5000m in Glasgow last month to break the 25-year-old national indoor record by 14 seconds running almost completely by herself. Meanwhile, Konstanze Klosterhalfen still remembers Karlsruhe fondly from last year&rsquo;s editions where the German set a European junior record of 4:08.38 over 1500m. She will be stepping up in distance for the occasion and join the stellar 3000m field.
The men&rsquo;s 1500m will see the top three finishers from Dusseldorf take on one another over the seven and a half lap distance in pursuit for World Indoor Tour points. Elijah Manangoi outsprinted compatriot Bethwel Birgen and Silas Kiplagat on Wednesday for a 3:37.62 world lead and could take over the overall lead, which he currently shares with Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz.
Another middle distance runner looking to take over her shared World Indoor Tour lead is Joanna Jozwik. The Pole produced one of the highlights in Dusseldorf when she stormed to victory over 800m in 2:00.91, another world lead. Switzerland&rsquo;s Selina Buchel, who currently shares the third spot in the tour, came through strongly over the final metres in Dusseldorf to secure 7 points in second. She too could move up in the rankings into second if she can replicate Wednesday&rsquo;s strong finish.
The lead in the women&rsquo;s 60m World Indoor Tour rankings is currently shared between English Gardner and Oleysa Povkh, but with neither competing in Karlsruhe, the door to move to the top of the rankings is wide open for those who already secured runner-up spots.
Barbara Pierre earned 7 points in Dusseldorf, finishing just 0.01 behind winner Povkh, and will be lining up in Karlsruhe. The world indoor champion will face European 200m champion and 60m European indoor silver medallist Dina Asher-Smith.
<h3>Schwanitz keen to set a mark</h3>
After 34 years, this year&rsquo;s meeting will feature the women&rsquo;s shot put instead of the men&rsquo;s for the first time. Headlining the field will be world champion Christina Schwanitz who competed indoors for the first time in three years in Dusseldorf. The German opened her season with 18.14m, but had to settle for second behind Olympic bronze medallist Anita Marton, who took the win with 18.17m and will also be Schwanitz&rsquo;s biggest challenger in Karlsruhe and for tour points.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I just saw a photo of the track here and said &lsquo;oh it looks like the track in Gothenburg where I won my first European indoor title&rsquo;,&rdquo; Schwanitz excitedly said at today&rsquo;s press conference. &ldquo;Turns out it is actually the same track! I can&rsquo;t wait to compete on it again.&rdquo;
Elsewhere in the field, the men&rsquo;s high jump could see Donald Thomas extend the tour lead he built when winning in Boston with 2.28m, while two athletes could reshuffle the tour standings in the men&rsquo;s long jump. Damar Forbes of Jamaica and Benjamin Gfholer hold 5 and 3 points respectively, but will face Frenchman Jean-Pierre Bertrand, the only athlete in the field with a leap of over eight metres this season.
The women&rsquo;s pole vault is also wide open. Alongside local favourite Lisa Ryzih, the field features U20 world record holder Wilma Murto, while the men&rsquo;s non-scoring 800m includes world indoor bronze medallist Erik Sowinski, who just got pipped to second in Dusseldorf and is keen to build on his performance from Wednesday.
Michelle Sammet for the IAAF
2017 IAAF World Indoor Tour 28 Jan &ndash; Boston, USA 1 Feb &ndash; Dusseldorf, GER 4 Feb &ndash; Karlsruhe, GER 10 Feb &ndash; Torun, POL 18 Feb &ndash; Birmingham, GBR
&nbsp;

For many athletes who competed at the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf on Wednesday, the IAAF World Indoor Tour will continue just a few hours down the Autobahn at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe on Saturday (4).

Sprint hurdles to take centre stage in Karlsruhe

Fans of sporting thrillers were spoilt on the second leg of the IAAF World Indoor Tour as all of the sprint finals went down to the wire at the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf on Wednesday (1).
In the men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles it looked as though the dominant French hurdlers were set to take the sweep, but late addition to the field Orlando Ortega was more than happy to spoil the party.
In a race that initially seemed as though Olympic bronze medallist Dimitri Bascou took the honours in a world-leading 7.51, the Spaniard snuck through in lane seven to be determined winner by photo finish in the same time as the Frenchman. Bascou, who dived over the line in an effort to secure victory, had to be wheeled off the track holding his hamstring in agony.
Garfield Darien in third was just 0.02 behind the two leaders, while Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, who clocked a then world-leading 7.54 in the heats, finished fourth in 7.62.
The women&rsquo;s race was equally tight and proved a rematch of last year&rsquo;s race when home favourite Cindy Roleder had to settle for second behind Belarusian Alina Talay by just 0.01.
In the heats, Talay laid down the gauntlet on her local rival when she equalled Roleder&rsquo;s European lead of 7.97, while the latter finished third in her heat with 8.01. In the final the pair went head-to-head and with the support of the partisan crowd behind her, European champion Roleder took the win in a season&rsquo;s best of 7.95 with Talay awarded the same time in second.
The photo finish theme continued over 60m, where Cuban Yunier Perez provided a surprise victory from lane eight, defeating Dusseldorf favourite and 2015 and 2016 winner Kim Collins, with both finishing with a season&rsquo;s best of 6.56.
With all eyes on world indoor champion Barbara Pierre in the women&rsquo;s 60m, Ukraine&rsquo;s Olesya Povkh provided another upset. Povkh pipped Pierre to the victory by 0.01 in 7.16, with Britain&rsquo;s Asha Philip finishing just behind the pair in 7.18.
<h3>Poles dominate over 800m</h3>
Adam Kszczot was introduced as &lsquo;Mr PSD Bank Meeting&rsquo; to the sell-out crowd and once again proved why he deserves his title. The Pole stormed to a world-leading 1:46.17 in the men&rsquo;s 800m to take his sixth victory in Dusseldorf.
World indoor bronze medallist Erik Sowinski looked poised for second but was pipped on the line by Kenya&rsquo;s Nicholas Kipkoech, who clocked a PB of 1:46.89.
Possibly inspired by her compatriot&rsquo;s performance in the non-scoring men&rsquo;s race, Joanna Jozwik ran a more tactical race than Kszczot, but with the same outcome.
Iceland&rsquo;s Anita Hinriksdottir moved into the lead with one lap to go, but the Pole surged past the 2013 world U18 champion on the back straight and remained unchallenged for the final metres of the race to finish in a world-leading 2:00.91, securing 10 points in the tour rankings.
After Boston&rsquo;s mile on Saturday, Dusseldorf featured the men&rsquo;s 1500m as a World Indoor Tour event and it was Kenya versus the rest of the world. A lead pack of five quickly established with Germany&rsquo;s Homiyu Tesfaye the only non-Kenyan in the mix.
With one lap to go, Bethwel Birgen and world silver medallist Elijah Manangoi dropped the rest of the field. In the end, Manangoi had just enough energy in reserve to out-sprint his compatriot over the final metres and take the win in a world-leading 3:37.62. Birgen finished in 3:37.81.
<h3>Morris continues where she left off in 2016</h3>
Sandi Morris didn&rsquo;t hide the fact she was feeling confident going into the women&rsquo;s pole vault, which was celebrating its debut at the PSD Bank Meeting. Her goals were clear: win, set a respectable meeting record and take the world lead. With a victory at 4.72m and the meeting record in the bag, she was poised to complete her to-do list.
Once the field had thinned down at 4.52m, Morris was the only athlete remaining when Switzerland&rsquo;s Nicole Buchler bowed out after three failures at 4.62m. With little effort, the Olympic silver medallist cleared 4.62m and 4.72m on her first attempts. All three of Morris&rsquo;s attempts at 4.82m, which would have been a world lead, looked promising, but the bar didn&rsquo;t seem to want to stay up.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy with the result,&rdquo; she insisted after the competition. &ldquo;It is still very early in the season, so to be attempting a 4.80 height is really encouraging.&rdquo;
<h3>Mamona extends tour lead</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s triple jump Portugal&rsquo;s Patricia Mamona made it three wins out of three in 2017 to extend her lead in the World Indoor Tour rankings.
After victory in Boston at the weekend, the European champion&rsquo;s second attempt of 14.11m sealed a narrow victory over Neele Eckhardt. The German improved her indoor PB by 26 centimetres to 14.09m and was visibly thrilled with her result and to secure the qualifying standard for the European Indoor Championships in March.
Heartache came for world indoor champion and world leader Yulimar Rojas, who suffered a hamstring injury on her second attempt.
With 2016 hampered by injury woes, world shot put champion Christina Schwanitz wasn&rsquo;t quite sure what to expect from her season opener in Dusseldorf. But with every round the German grew in confidence and produced her best throw of the night with her final attempt.
It was, however, Hungary&rsquo;s Anita Marton who took the win and 10 World Indoor Tour points, thanks to an 18.17m fifth-round throw. Schwanitz nevertheless allowed herself a little smile and will be heading back down the motorway tomorrow to continue her comeback at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe, the third leg of the IAAF World Indoor Tour.
A dominant figure on the indoor circuit, two-time world indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslak left no doubt over his form. The Czech ran a strong race from the outside lane to take the win and 10 tour points in 46.00. Grenada&rsquo;s Bralon Taplin won the other heat in 46.25.
The men&rsquo;s 3000m, a non-scoring event, saw Kenya&rsquo;s Hillary Ngetich outkick Ethiopia&rsquo;s 2007 world U18 bronze medallist Dawit Wolde in a PB of 7:44.73.
A whole host of athletes competing in Dusseldorf will make the journey south to Karlsruhe tomorrow to continue the pursuit of IAAF World Indoor Tour points on Saturday 4 February.
Michelle Sammet for the IAAF

Fans of sporting thrillers were spoilt on the second leg of the IAAF World Indoor Tour as all of the sprint finals went down to the wire at the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf on Wednesday (1).

Photo finishes galore in Dusseldorf

Spain&rsquo;s Orlando Ortega and France&rsquo;s Dimitri Bascou will line up against current world leader Andy Pozzi and fellow Briton David Omoregie in the 60m hurdles at the M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix, an IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting, in Birmingham on 18 February.
Ortega, who holds an outdoor PB of 12.94, earned the Olympic silver medal in Rio last year. He has raced in Birmingham twice before, setting a PB of 7.67 in 2012 and improving to 7.54 in 2013, equalling what was then his PB. He went on to improve his lifetime best to a world-leading 7.45 in 2015.
Bascou earned medals at three major championships last year. The 29-year-old took bronze at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016, then gold in the 110m hurdles at the European Championships before capping his season with the Olympic bronze medal.
His 60m hurdles PB of 7.41 not only makes him the fastest in the field for Birmingham but also the second-fastest European of all time.
Pozzi, who finished fourth at the 2012 and 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, opened his 2017 campaign with a world-leading 7.56 in Cardiff last weekend, just shy of his lifetime best of 7.53. Omoregie, the 2014 world U20 bronze medallist, finished second to Pozzi in Cardiff with a PB of 7.63.
&ldquo;Running a world-leading time was amazing and I&rsquo;m really happy that everything is coming together,&rdquo; said Pozzi. &ldquo;Winter training has gone well and I&rsquo;m in great shape, so I&rsquo;ll be looking to produce something special at the M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix.&rdquo;
Organisers for the IAAF
2017 IAAF World Indoor Tour calendar 28 Jan &ndash; Boston, USA 1 Feb &ndash; Dusseldorf, GER 4 Feb &ndash; Karlsruhe, GER 10 Feb &ndash; Torun, POL 18 Feb &ndash; Birmingham, GBR

Spain’s Orlando Ortega and France’s Dimitri Bascou will line up against current world leader Andy Pozzi and fellow Briton David Omoregie in the 60m hurdles at the Müller Indoor Grand Prix, an IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting, in Birmingham on 18 February.

Olympic medallists Ortega and Bascou set to take on Britain's best hurdlers in Birmingham

In part six of our 2016 year-end review series, statisticians A. Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best hurdles performances of the year.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles</h3>
With four hurdlers under the magical 13-second barrier in 2015, there was little chance, even with the Olympics, that 2016 would be able to challenge the standard from last season. The reasons behind the slower results were multilayered and only one man, Omar McLeod, was able to repeat the feat of breaking 13 seconds in two successive seasons.&nbsp;
The 22-year-old Jamaican, who made a huge improvement in 2015 when lowering his personal best from 13.44 to 12.97, was the No.1 performer throughout the season. After winning the 60m hurdles title at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 in 7.41, McLeod began his outdoor campaign with a strong two-week period, clocking 13.08 at the Drake Relays, 13.05 at Doha&rsquo;s IAAF Diamond League fixture and 12.98 at the Shanghai IAAF Diamond League stop, all world leads.
He followed with a 13.06 win at the Prefontaine Classic and 13.01 for the national title, marking a seven-for-seven run (two indoors and five outdoors) in 2016. But trouble followed. McLeod crashed through the final hurdle in Monaco in July and then, three days later at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial, hit a hurdle too hard midway to suffer back-to-back defeats heading into the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Despite those setbacks, McLeod was perfect in Rio, winning his heat and semifinal before comfortably securing the Olympic title in 13.05, 0.12 seconds ahead of Spain's Orlando Ortega, who took silver in 13.17. The 25-year-old Ortega came close to 13 seconds in 2014 when he clocked 13.01 in Monaco, and improved to 12.94 in Paris in 2015. This year he lowered the Spanish record to 13.04 and won the two IAAF Diamond League meetings after Rio in Lausanne and Brussels.&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles</h3>
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles season really didn&rsquo;t warm up properly before the Olympics. There were no performances under 48 seconds in the lead-in to Rio with a 48.10 run by Johnny Dutch pacing the season. The 27-year-old didn&rsquo;t make the US team and the fastest athlete entered in Rio was US champion Kerron Clement with a season's best of 48.40. This was by far the lowest standard in the event in the past 20 years.
Kenya's world champion Nicholas Bett had a disappointing season. He arrived in Rio with a modest 49.31 and was disqualified in the heats. He ended his season on an upnote, clocking 48.01 to win at the Paris IAAF Diamond League meeting.
In contrast to the rest of the season, the Rio competition was surprisingly good &ndash; and full of shocks. Ireland's 24-year-old Thomas Barr had only run 50.09 in the semi-finals of the European Championships five weeks earlier, but he was at a different level in Brazil, winning his semifinal with a 48.39 national record. In the final he missed a medal by just 0.05, but further improved his national record to 47.97 while finishing fourth.
Clement grabbed the gold in 47.73, closely followed by Kenyan Boniface Tumuti, whose 47.78 run was a national record. Yasmani Copello Escobar of Turkey, the European champion, took the bronze in 47.92, also a national record. The race produced the first career sub-48-second performances for the athletes placed second to fourth.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles</h3>
The men&rsquo;s high hurdles event was traditionally almost monopolised by the USA but that has changed. Rio was the first Olympics ever (except for the boycotted 1980 Games) where the USA didn&rsquo;t secure a medal in the 110m hurdles. It&rsquo;s therefore quite remarkable that the picture is the exact opposite among the women.&nbsp;
The USA occupied the top seven positions on the 2016 world list and in Rio, Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin swept the medals.
And as the icing on the cake: the world record for the first time ever, set by a US athlete courtesy of Kendra Harrison. In the London leg of the IAAF Diamond League on 22 July, Harrison&rsquo;s 12.20 victory eclipsed Bulgaria&rsquo;s Yordanka Donkova&rsquo;s 12.21, a record which had stood for nearly 28 years. Harrison, one of the smoothest hurdlers ever, had a brilliant year overall, running sub-12.50 every month from April through August and winning 10 of her 11 competitions.
However, that sole loss was a costly one indeed as it happened at the extremely competitive and all-decisive US Olympic trials. A small technical error in the final left her a tantalising 0.07 from that all-important go-to-Rio top-three position. And still she ran a time (12.62) which no non-US hurdler bettered during the whole of 2016.
However, that loss in Eugene almost certainly raised the determination with which she ten days later approached the race in London.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles</h3>
The event had no clear favourite for the Olympic gold going into 2016 but the 'Olympic dream' quite often inspires athletes to raise their game. This year witnessed 2013 world silver medalist Dalilah Muhammad return to the international scene after two years in relative anonymity.
Muhammad reigned supreme from the US Trials onwards. At the trials she won by more than a second in 52.88, the first sub-53 in the world since 2013, and followed that with a solid Olympic tune-up victory in London.&nbsp;
At the Olympics Muhammad was class apart, dipping under 54 seconds in the semis and winning the final by three metres in 53.13. She closed out her season with 53.78 for a comfortable win in the Lausanne. Overall Muhammad produced five sub-54 performances &ndash; no one else had more than two &ndash; and she was the sole sub-53.50 performer.
Behind Muhammad there were mixed fortunes but overall Sara Slott Petersen of Denmark was the most consistent, taking silver in Rio and never finishing lower than third, including in five IAAF Diamond League starts.
Eilidh Doyle, who was eighth at the Olympics, and Cassandra Tate, who didn&rsquo;t qualify for Rio, were the most prolific in the IAAF Diamond League. Their respective records: Doyle 1-3-2-1-4-2-3-5, and Tate 5-2-4-1-2-4-1. That victory in the final secured Tate the overall title, although she stood only 12th on the world list and had a 2-4 win-loss record against Doyle.
Sydney McLaughlin, who won the world U18 title in 2015 when still just 15, continued her progress and qualified for Rio after lowering the world U20 record to 54.15 at the US Trials where she finished third. In Rio she went as far as the semi-finals, where she finished fifth, nine days after her 17th birthday.
Mirko Jalava (men&rsquo;s events) and A. Lennart Julin (women&rsquo;s events) for the IAAF

In part six of our 2016 year-end review series, statisticians A. Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best hurdles performances of the year. 

2016 end-of-year reviews – hurdles

When quizzed about whether she had Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce&rsquo;s AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme meeting record of 10.72 in mind as she went into her last race of the season, Elaine Thompson said that she just wanted to run fast and professed not to even be aware of what her compatriot had run three years ago.
However, her indifference on Thursday had certainly melted away ahead of the gun going at the IAAF Diamond League final on Friday (9).
The Netherlands&rsquo; European champion Dafne Schippers had a good start by her standards and pushed Thompson all the way to 40 metres but then the Jamaican seemed to have several more gears and just flew away from the Dutchwoman over the second half of the race to equal her compatriot&rsquo;s 2013 time of 10.72 and clock the third-fastest time of her career.
The win also sealed the Diamond Race in the short sprint for Thompson.
&ldquo;I wanted to run faster however, I felt something in my hamstrings at the very end of the race," said Thompson. "Now, I can finally go back home and celebrate. I keep on smiling because this season was really great."
Schippers was a distant second in 10.97 but need not reproach herself as Thompson was in irresistible form.
Spain&rsquo;s Olympic 110m hurdles silver medallist Orlando Ortega needed all his competitive will to overhaul Pascal Martinot-Lagarde as the Frenchman ran an outstanding first six hurdles.
Gradually, Ortega began to reel in Martinot-Lagarde and he edged in front of his rival off the ninth hurdle, holding on to his lead before winning in 13.08 &ndash; and confirming his status as the Diamond Race winner &ndash; while Martinot-Lagarde finished in a season&rsquo;s best of 13.12.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a good year for me, silver at the Olympics and now the Diamond Trophy,&rdquo; said the Spaniard, who ran a national record of 13.04 earlier in the year. "The only thing I regret is not going under 13 seconds this season."
<h3>Tate times her run right</h3>
Cassandra Tate picked the right moment to run a season&rsquo;s best of 54.47 as her win propelled her to the top of the 400m hurdles Diamond Race standings.
Great Britain&rsquo;s Eilidh Doyle led the Diamond Race by six points ahead of the final and led on Friday night through the first half of the race, getting up on the shoulder of Olympic silver medallist Sara Slott Petersen by the sixth hurdle.
However, Tate ran an inspired second bend and took the lead with two hurdles to go and hold off Petersen&rsquo;s second surge in the final few metres.
Petersen, the European champion in July, finished second in 54.60 as Doyle faded down the home straight and finished fifth, handing the Diamond Race and US$40,000 cheque to Tate.
Cater Semenya dropped down in distance to the 400m but still impressed, not just with her sheer speed but her timing and tactics.
Stephenie-Ann McPherson just had the edge over Natasha Hastings as the pair entered the home straight but Semenya came from fifth with 50 metres remaining to go past a quartet of more experienced 400m runners to win in a personal best of 50.40.
USA&rsquo;s Courtney Okolo also came through strongly late in the race and finished second with 50.51, getting the verdict over McPherson who was given the same time but whose third place was good enough to give her the Diamond Race by seven points from Hastings, who finished fifth.
Alonso Edward was assured of getting his third successive 200m Diamond Race as long as he went to his blocks, which was just as well as he finished sixth and was never a factor in Brussels.
At the sharp end, there was a thrilling three-way battle with Jamaica&rsquo;s Julian Forte just edging out Great Britain&rsquo;s Adam Gemili &ndash; the pair side-by-side in lanes four and five &ndash; but both men being given the same time of 19.97, which were also personal bests for the duo.
Despite his personal best, Gemili must be ruing his luck on the big occasion this season as he lost out on the bronze medal in Rio by just 0.003.
The Netherlands&rsquo; Churandy Martina was 0.01 behind the leading pair. The Dutchman was only 0.01 away from a medal himself in Rio, despite finishing fifth.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF

When quizzed about whether she had Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme meeting record of 10.72 in mind as she went into her last race of the season, Elaine Thompson said that she just wanted to run fast and professed not to even be aware of what her compatriot had run three years ago.