2008 Olympic Track and Field - Day 7
Jamaica struck sprint gold again in the women’s 200-meter final. Just as in Athens in 2004, Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown won gold with America’s Allyson Felix taking the silver. Campbell-Brown won in a personal best 21.74 while Felix ran a season best 21.93. Kerron Stewart of Jamaica (22.0) added a bronze medal to her 100-meter silver. Muna Lee was fourth (22.01) and Marshevet Hooker fifth (22.34) for the U.S. Jamaica’s Sherone Simpson, the co- silver medalist in the 100, was sixth (22.36).
Favored Dayron Robles of Cuba pulled away for a decisive victory in the men’s 110-meter hurdles final. The world record-holder won in 12.93, giving the disappointed Chinese fans one consolation – Robles didn’t break the Olympic record of 12.91 set in 2004 by China’s currently- injured Liu Xiang. American David Payne pulled a slight upset by edging 2008 U.S. champion David Oliver for the silver medal. Payne was second in a season best 13.17 while Oliver gained the bronze in 13.18.
Some hard rain added even more difficulty to the already-challenging men’s decathlon competition, which began Thursday. With victories in the first two events, American Bryan Clay led the 10-event competition after one day with 4521 points. Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus was second (4433) followed by American Trey Hardee (4428), Oleksiy Kasyanov of Ukraine (4408) and 2004 gold medalist Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic (4312).
Clay was the fastest in the 100 meters (10.44) to begin the two-day contest. Clay, the 2004 silver medalist, was then first with a season best 7.78 in the long jump. He didn’t win the shot put, but threw a personal best 16.27. He finished by clearing 1.99 in the high jump and running 48.92 in the 400 meters. Hardee was among the points leaders all day and closed fast with personal bests in the high jump (2.05) and the 400 (47.75). Krauchanka had a personal best in the shot (14.39) and season bests in the 100 (10.96) and 400 (47.30). Kasyanov had a personal best in the shot (15.15) and tied for the lead in the high jump (2.11). Sebrle also tied for the high jump lead. He posted a season-best 7.68 in the long jump. Aleksandr Pogorelov of Russia, who sits seventh overall with 4283 points, led in the shot (16.53 meters), while Daniel Awde of Great Britain won the 400 (47.16), but is only 26th overall with 3857 points. Among the early drop-outs were 2004 bronze medalist Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan and American Tom Pappas. The final five decathlon events are scheduled for Friday.
Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic earned the women’s javelin gold medal on her final throw with a winning effort of 71.42 meters. Spotakova was in second place entering the sixth round. Russia’s Mariya Abakumova took the lead with a first-round 69.32, edging Spotakova’s first attempt by .10. Abakumova improved her distance to 70.78 in the fourth round but had to settle for the silver. Christina Obergfoll of Germany won the bronze (66.13). The 2004 gold medalist, Osleidys Menendez of Cuba, took sixth (63.35).
The 2007 World Outdoor champion edged the 2008 World Indoor champ in the men’s triple jump final. Portugal’s Nelson Evora and Great Britain’s Phillips Idowu traded the lead through four rounds but Evora finally prevailed with a gold medal-winning leap measuring 17.67 meters. Idowu took silver (17.62) and Leevan Sands of the Bahamas earned the bronze (17.59). Idowu led after one round (17.51). Evora pulled ahead in round two (17.56) before Idowu answered with his best jump in the third round. Evora then took the lead for good with his winning effort in the fourth.
The women’s 20-kilometer race walk ended in a driving rain but that didn’t stop Russia’s Olga Kaniskina, the 2007 World Outdoor champion, from winning with an Olympic record time of 1:26:31. Norway’s Kjersti Platzer was second (1:27:07) and Italy’s Elisa Rigaudo third (1:27:12). Athanasia Tsoumeleka of Greece, the 2004 gold medalist, took ninth (1:27:54) and American Joanne Dow finished 31st (1:34:15).
In preliminary action, the U.S. suffered more sprint disappointment when, remarkably, both of its 4 x 100-meter relay squads were disqualified in Thursday’s semifinals.
On the women’s side, Jamaica’s quartet of Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sheri-Ann Brooks, Aleen Bailey and Veronica Campbell won their heat in 42.24. Belgium’s Olivia Borlee, Hanna Marien, Elodie Ouedraogo and Kim Gevaert won their heat in 42.92. The U.S. was winning its heat midway through the race when second-leg runner Torri Edwards and third-leg runner Lauryn Williams mishandled the baton exchange. It was the third successive Olympics in which the U.S. women’s 4 x 100 squad was disqualified.
The U.S. was one of six teams disqualified in the men’s 4 x 100. The Americans led their heat into the final exchange, but Tyson Gay couldn’t grab the baton from Darvis Patton. Jamaica, even without Usain Bolt in its semifinal lineup, won its heat in 38.81, with a quartet including Dwight Thomas, Michael Frater, Nesta Carter and Asafa Powell. Trinidad (Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Aaron Armstrong and Richard Thompson) won the first heat in 38.25. Both 4 x 100 finals are set for Friday.
Kenya’s Nancy Lagat led the qualifiers in the women’s 1500-meter semifinals. Lagat won her heat in 4:03.20 to qualify for Saturday’s final. Other heat winners included Maryam Jamal of Bahrain (4:05.14) and Iryna Lishchynska of Ukraine (4:13.6). Shannon Rowbury was the lone American to qualify, finishing fourth in her heat (4:03.89). Erin Donohue (eighth, 4:16.05) and Christin Wurth-Thomas (eighth, 4:09.70) did not qualify.
Nobody reached the automatic qualifying height of 1.96 meters but 15 women cleared 1.93 to qualify for Saturday’s high jump final. The qualifiers included Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic, the 2007 World Outdoor and 2008 World Indoor champion. Vlasic, who’s dominated women’s high jump in 2008, had one miss at 1.93 before clinching her spot in the final. Elena Slesarenko of Russia, the 2004 gold medalist, missed once at 1.89 and twice at 1.93, but cleared on her last attempt. Chaunte Howard missed once at 1.93 before clearing and will be the lone American in the final. Amy Acuff cleared 1.89 but missed three times at 1.93 while fellow American Sharon Day cleared 1.85 before missing three times at 1.89.
Some of the top names in the men’s 800 meters didn’t survive Thursday’s semifinals. The heats were won by Kenyans Wilfred Bungei (1:46.23) and Alfred Yego (1:44.73) plus Algeria’s Nabil Madi (1:45.63). Failing to qualify for Saturday’s final were 2004 gold medalist Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia (third in his heat, 1:46.53), Nick Symmonds of the U.S. (sixth, 1:46.96) and Sudan’s Abubaker Khaki (eighth, 1:49.19), who’d posted a 2008 world-best 1:42.69.
Three men topped the automatic qualifying distance of 82.5 meters to lead 12 qualifiers into Saturday’s men’s javelin throw final. Latvia’s Vadims Vasilevskis, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, led all qualifiers with an 83.51-meter throw on his first attempt. Russia’s Ilya Korotkov reached 83.33 on his second try while 2007 World Outdoor champion Tero Pitkamaki of Finland threw 82.61 meters on his first legal throw, in the second round. Australia’s Jarrod Bannister, who has a 2008 world-best throw of 89.02, qualified at 79.79 while 2004 gold medalist Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway qualified at 79.85. Americans Leigh Smith (76.55), Mike Hazle (72.75) and Breaux Greer (73.68) all failed to qualify for the final.
All dates mentioned above are based on Beijing time, which is 12 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
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