Joanna Hayes of the US wins the 100m Hurdles in Berlin (© Getty Images)
Clearly showing that her world-leading 12.37 Olympic record dash in Athens was no fluke, Joanna Hayes dominated the 100 metre Hurdles here with a 12.46 win, making her debut at Berlin’s Olympic stadium a notable one.
“It was my first Golden League win,” the 27-year-old Olympic champion said, “So I couldn’t be more pleased.”
While it may have been her first, it was perhaps appropriate that the Olympic champion would also turn in the widest victory margin of the year in the event, a massive 2/10ths of a second ahead of runner-up Olena Krasovska.
“The start was pretty good, and I just told myself to just focus on my lane and just clear the hurdles,” Hayes said. “And actually I ran very clean and didn’t hit any of them. I was told the track was fast, and it was faster than fast. As I was running, I was running so fast that my lead leg wasn’t coming down as quick as I wanted to, so my time was fast because of my running, not my hurdling. I just felt really good out there.”
Returning to action as the newly-minted Olympic champion was not an easy task for Hayes, whose road to Athens included a runner-up finish at the U.S. Trials and a distant fifth place showing in Zurich early last month.
After her scintillating performance in the Olympic final, Hayes said, “I was so excited, it had actually taken a while to calm down and realize what had actually happened. I told myself that just because the Olympics were over, I still had important races left. So I came into this race thinking, ‘This is like the Olympics. Run like the Olympics, and you should be able to win.’”
Hayes said that’s she slowly adjusting to the “feeling” of being an Olympic champion.
“It’s sinking in a little bit more every day,” Hayes said, recalling the days leading up to her win in Athens. “I went in there saying, ‘you’ve gotta win this, this is what you worked hard for.’ So in my mind I knew I was going to win, but obviously you have to do it first. So when I won, I was like, ‘OK, it happened!’ Then, I couldn’t believe it happened. But it sinks in a little more every day, and,” she added, laughing, “people treat you very well. They do remind me every day that I’m the Olympic champion.”
Walking into the newly-reburbished Olympic Stadium for the first time allowed her to relish the moment all the more.
“Just walking into this Olympic stadium made me feel so very good, very warm,” she said, “just knowing the great history it had. It was a phenomenal feeling.”
There has been little time for celebration, but that to will come after her extraordinary season comes to an end next weekend at the World Athletics Final.
“I have one more race, in Monaco, and then I get to go home and see my family,” Hayes said, beaming once again. But she’s not expecting a holiday. “They’re all very excited, so I don’t think I’ll get to rest very much. I don’t know when I’ll get a vacation.”
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF