Xiang Liu (l) battles with Allen Johnson in Rome (© Gettty Images)
On the eve of the Borotalco Golden Gala in the Italian capital, the second of the year's TDK Golden League meetings, Allen Johnson offered a succinct appraisal of his narrow defeat to Ladji Doucouré at the ‘Meeting Gaz de France’ TDK Golden League in Paris, last week.
“He ran faster than the rest of us,” the quadruple World outdoor 110m Hurdles champion said, sporting a wide grin. “What else can I say?”
The young Frenchman was indeed extremely fast on his “home” turf, setting a new national record of 13.02 in the process, edging Johnson by just 2/100s of the second. In the first of what will almost certainly promise to be fast races in this loaded TDK Golden League event, Olympic champion Liu Xiang was in turn just 2/100s of a second behind Johnson.
“I feel that I’ll be the one who wins most of the time”
“That should not have been a surprise to anyone,” Johnson remarked of Doucouré’s performance. “He’s been running very fast. There are five or six of us who are running very fast. So on any day, anyone of us could win. However,” he added, “I feel that I’ll be the one who wins most of the time.”
The men’s sprint hurdles features exceptionally high quality in 2005, the likes of which Johnson, the event’s elder statesman at 34, has never witnessed.
“This is the toughest year I’ve seen as far as the number of top athletes competing. It’s the first year you have five people at 13.05 or better.”
Besides Johnson, who dashed to a world-leading 12.99 effort to win the U.S. title last month in Carson, and Doucouré, Americans Dominique Arnold (13.01) and two-time Olympic silver medallist Terrence Trammell (13.02) and Xiang (13.05) round out the world’s top-five in 2005, depth unprecedented in the history of the event. All five will start on Friday night.
“Everyone feels they have a chance to win”
The reasons for the high concentration of quality, Johnson said, are fairly straightforward.
“I guess everyone came out more motivated this year. I fell at the Olympic Games. Ladji stumbled and didn’t get the medal he probably would have gotten. And it’s a World Championships year. Everyone feels they have a chance to win.”
In an event as technically challenging as the hurdles, Johnson, the 1996 Olympic champion, said he’s constantly learning his event, an aspect that has resulted in his longevity as a world class hurdler.
“Everyone possesses qualities that are better than anyone else. But exactly what those qualities are I’d rather not say. I don’t want to advertise what those are. That takes away from my competitive advantage.”
While the focus remains primarily on his own performance, Johnson said that the technical demands of the event require that he studies and never underestimates his opponents.
“I look at myself first, then I look at my competitors,” said Johnson, who decided against competing in Tuesday’s Athletissima Super Grand Prix in Lausanne as a precaution when some soreness emerged in his calf. “I’m not afraid to look and my competitors and appreciate what I can learn from them.”
“I think a lot about every race,” he continued, “because every race is so close. When I lose it’s by a few hundredths, and when I win it’s by a few hundredths. I really have to focus and learn from previous races. You learn what not to do and what to do. Hopefully, with all the races leading up to the World Championships, you can learn what to do and what not to do.”
World records happen when they happen
Johnson believes that the World record of 12.91, first set by Colin Jackson in Stuttgart (World Championships 1993) and tied last year in the Olympic Stadium by Liu Xiang, can go at any time. “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t broken this year,” he said, but adding that the long-elusive mark is not his primary concern this season.
“The main thing is the world championships. World Records happen when and if they happen.”
Johnson seems to enjoy his status as his event’s elder statesman, and said he has no plans to give up that unofficial title. “I do plan to compete until Beijing. Maybe even another year after that. I really enjoy competing and every year possesses new challenges, new goals and new adventures.”
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF