Jackson storms home as Sanchez suffers in the conditions
Bershawn Jackson says that his nickname of "Batman" is because he flies past people when he runs. Tonight, amid a Wagnerian stormy backdrop, Jackson soared to a lifetime best 47.30sec to win the 400 metres Hurdles at the World Championship here in Helsinki.
But if anyone suffered in the atrocious conditions inflicted upon all the athletes involved in the competition tonight, it must be Felix Sanchez, whose bid to win a third World title came to an end soon after he had cleared the first flight of hurdles, his troublesome injured heel clearly too painful to continue.
The heavy, cold rain had returned just as the athletes came out on the track for their event, and worsened throughout the race. Yet the torrential downpour did not dampen the delight of Jackson and the two other medallists, James Carter and Dai Tamesue, of Japan, who continued on a lap of honour to the evident delight of the many bedraggled fans who had patiently stayed throughout the most atrocious of conditions.
Jackson's achievement was all the more extraordinary, since apart from Sanchez's own winning time in Paris two years ago, the 22-year-old Floridian's was the fastest winning time in the World final for 12 years.
Drawn in lane six, Jackson was always in control, looking assured over the barriers despite the treacherous underfoot conditions. He entered the straight with his team mate, Carter, on almost level terms, while inside them, in the unwanted lane one, the teenaged US champion, Kerron Clement, was beginning to send out distress signals a stride or so off the pace.
In lane seven, the Japanese was running a battling race, almost on terms with Clement, but as he tired, he stuttered into the ninth flight, and lost momentum. For five strides or so, an American cleansweep looked possible.
But as Jackson turned on the power into the final flight to break away from Carter, so Clement almost came to a halt at the final barrier. He never recovered the initiative, and as he sauntered across the line - a novice's error if ever there was one - the never-say-die Japanese hurled himself across the finish to repeat his bronze medal of Edmonton four years ago, in a season's best 48.10. Clement lost a medal by 0.08.
Carter, at 27 years of age and with two agonising Olympic fourth places on his career CV, was rewarded with a silver medal in a personal best 47.43, as the first six finishers came home in under 48.6 - truly remarkable given the conditions.
