At the stadium, we separate from the Uncles as we head off to find our seats. Julie has called some more friends Anne and Paul Careless, who we know are at the stadium this evening, although their tickets are in an adjacent section.
After 2.32 four men were already out, and only USA’s Matt Hemmingway and Ukraine’s Andriy Sokolovskiy had no failures.
Svatoslav Ton and Jaroslav Baba passed on to 2.34. For the Russian, Ton, the gamble didn’t pay off, but the Czech Baba arched over, equalling his personal best, set this year. The favourite, Sweden’s Stefan Holm had failed once at 2.32.
Hemmingway cleared 2.34 with ease. Holm, jumping next, had another fail and seemed to lack the assurance he’s shown in previous competitions this year. He failed again on his second try too.
Baba, who passed at 2.32 after two fails, went clear. USA’s Jamie Nieto took two attempts but then cleared to join his compatriot in a medal position. THe Serbian, Dragutin Topic, went out, as did Russia’s Yaroslav Rybakov and Sokolovskiy.
Holm needed something special to stay in the competition. He found it and sailed clear.
There were four left as the bar went to 2.36. With the barriers set up for the women’s 400m hurdles, the jumpers had to wait as the runners completed their semi-finals. Hemmingwayhad his first fail of the night. Then, Holm heels touched the bar as he went over. His first time clearance at 2.36 equalled his personal best.
Nieto failed, as did Baba. Hemmingway’s second effort was poor. Nieto and Baba tried to stir the crowd but they were more interested in the Greek 400m hurdler, Fani Halkia and her incredible Olympic record.
After the uproar, Hemmingway resumed, but failed. He was out. Holm sat with head in his hands, barely able to look. Nieto clipped the bar. It wobbled and fell. Only Baba could deny the Swede. By now Holm was on his knees. Baba wasn’t even close, and as the bar came down Holm raced into the crowd to embrace his coach.
American Melissa Morrison, bronze medallist in Sydney, won the first heat in a 12.76. Morrison took the lead at the 8th hurdle from Jamaica’s national champion Delloreen Ennis-London who had sprinted ahead of the rest of the field in the early stages to gain the second automatic qualifying spot in 12.77, with Haiti’s Nadine Faustin, third in 12.94.
2003 World silver medallist Brigitte Foster of Jamaica ran a very powerful second heat in 12.83, with Spain’s Glory Alozie – second in 12.92.
Reigning World Indoor and Outdoor champion Perdita Felicien of Canada made a fast start in heat three to made up enough ground to relax and cruise to the line in 12.73. She conceded the win to Mariya Korotayeva, of Russia, in 12.72. The fastest qualifier was American Joanna Hayes. The former 400m Hurdles runner cruised to the line in 12.71 more than a tenth of a second ahead of fast finishing Natalya Kresova of Russia who had been lying in fourth for most of the race. Britains Sarah Claxton was sixth in 13.14.
The shock of the qualifying round came in the fifth, and last heat, when American Gail Devers, Running in her fifth Olympic Games, collapsed into the first hurdle. With the American star lying on the floor, four women dipped to the line in what looked like a dead heat. Reina Flor Okori of France won in 12.81 with Russian champion Irina Shevchenko finishing fast in 12.82. Third and fourth place finishers, Olena Krasovska of Ukraine and Kristen Bolm of Germany, also advanced as the two fastest losers.
There were two Wheelchair demonstration events held this evening in the Olympic Stadium.
Australian Kurt Fearnley made the early pace, he lead from the second lap on until the last 90m when Robert Figl of Germany swept past with a final dash for the line. Fearnley’s earlier efforts had drained his strength and he finished back in fifth. Mexico’s Saul Mendoza got silver and Tana Rawat of Thailand secured bronze.
The Canadian Chantel Petitclerc lead from the bell to the finish despite a close pack in attendance in the last 100 metres. She crossed with about two thirds of a chair between her and the second finisher, Australian Eliza Stankovich. Another Australian, Louise Sauvage took the Bronze, with Britains Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson back in eighth.
Britains best hope for a athletics medal today lies with the Commonwealth Silver Medallist Phillips Idowu. We knew that he had qualified fourth with his first jump on Friday and so appeared to be in good form.
Sweden’s World and European champion, Christian Olsson was the first jumper on the runway and his leap of 17.69 takes him to the top of the leaderboard after the first round. Marian Oprea of Romania, is second with 17.55. Idowu is one of four who no-jump.
In the second round, Olsson extends his lead with a leap of 17.79. A jump of 17.47 takes the Cuban, Yoandri Betanzos, into third, but there is controversy when Idowu, jumping last, protests a foul call. There is no mark in the plasticine, but the sand pit has already been raked. He is given a second chance, but fouls again.
Russian Viktor Gushchinskiy, like Idowu, has yet to record a jump and no needs to do so, with his third jump, to stay in the competition. His score of 17.11 moves him to fifth. Idowu is the last jumper and needs to exceed 16.96 to continue in the competition. He is clearly nervous and fails again, eliminated without a score.
In the fifth round, the Russian Danila Burkenya takes the bronze by a single centimetre from Betanzos, but the remainder of the competition provides little excitement as the jumpers try unsuccessfully to better Olsson’s mark.
With a British runner in each semi-final, we have something to cheer. But the 100 metres is on the other side of the stadium and we need to watch most of the action on the screens. So much for Band A tickets!
The first semi-finals saw the Americans Shawn Crawford and Justin Gatlin head the field in 10.07 and 10.09 respectively. Gatlin had the faster start but eased up when qualification was assured. Aziz Zakari, of Ghana, and Barbadian Obadele Thompson take the other two places in the final, with Mark Lewis-Francis in fifth.
The American Olympic champion, Maurice Greene, was the quickest from the blocks, but the young Jamaican, Asafa Powell, took command by 60 metres. Francis Obikwelu, from Portugal, rapidly made up ground running on Powell’s right, pushing the Jamaican to a 9.95 victory. Obikwelu and Greene were credited with 9.97. World champion Kim Collins looked extremely relaxed en route to his 10.02 fourth place finish, a season’s best, with Britain’s Jason Gardner just missing out in fifth.
Whilst the action has been continuing on the track Hungary's Adrian Annus has produced one of the greatest series of hammer throws ever seen in Olympic competition to overawe Japan’s Koji Murofushi who waited until the last round before finding the way to unlock his best form in a marvellous but unsuccessful last ditch challenge for gold. Finishing in bronze was a lack lustre World champion Ivan Tikhon of Belarus.
The Hungarian was later disqualified for failing to produce a urine sample for an out-of-competition drugs test. The IOC wanted a further test from Annus after suspicions were raised that he had tricked testers by switching urine samples.
In the first heat, Sheena Johnson of the US, used a fast start to hold the lead over World record holder Yuliya Pechonkina of Russia and reigning World champion Jana Pittman of Australia in the early stages.
Pechonkina pulled even with Johnson by the sixth hurdle and then accelerated to the win in 53.31, ahead of Pittman’s second-place 54.05, with Johnson third in 54.32.
The fireworks occurred in the second heat, with home crowd favourite, Faní Halkiá drew even with American Lashinda Demus at the contest’s halfway mark, and then won the heat in an Olympic record time of 52.77 to become favourite for Wednesday’s final. Two-time European champion Ionela Tîrlea-Manolache of Romania followed with determination and finished second with 53.32, just ahead of the 53.37 of Tetyana Tereshchuk of Ukraine.
In the first heat, the Kenyans Bernard Lagat and Isaac Songok led the field through 400m in 57.22 and 800m in 1:56.74. At the bell, Gert-Jan Liefers of the Netherlands, and Spain’s Reyes Estevez were leading, with Lagat plus Ukraine’s World bronze medallist Ivan Heshko and Britain’s Michael East moving into contention. With only five to qualify automatically, the rush for places began down the back straight. Liefers led them into the home stretch and Kaouch came with a late burst, finding space through the pack as East and Songok faded.
Next up and Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj led them out slowly, passing 400m in 1:04.04. He picked up the pace slightly in the second lap, passing 800m in 2:07.19. Then he opened his stride a touch more, and began to pull away. At the bell Portugal’s Rui Silva began to move through the field, and at the line it was he who took second behind El Guerrouj, in 3:40.99.
Britain’s Commonwealth Games champion, Michael East qualified for final as fastest loser from Heat 1.
With just two from each of three races guaranteed places in Tuesday night’s final, qualification was intense.
In the first heat, World champion Ana Guevara, of Mexico, took the race, having run almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Bahamas’ Christine Amertil, as they finished in 50.15 and 50.17. Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu was fourth in 51.00.
Tonique Williams-Darling, of the Bahamas, demonstrated why she tops the IAAF World Rankings list with her 50.00 victory in Heat 2, ahead of American DeeDee Trotter in 50.14. Britain’s Donna Fraser was a disappointing seventh in 51.94.
American champion Monique Hennagan set the fastest time of the night in winning the last semi with 49.98. Russian Katalya Antyukh, the European Indoor champion, was easing down in sight of the finishing line, reached in 50.04. Lee McConnell of Britain was last.
The final race of the night was the one that we had all been waiting for. Although the British runners had been eliminated at the semi-finals stage, there was a long build-up with “Zorba’s Theme,” blasting through the stadium, slowly building to its well-known crescendo.
Olympic Champion, Maurice Greene of the US, Francis Obikwelu of Portugal and World champion and Kim Collins of St Kitts were the early leaders. But it was American Justin Gatlin who worked his way through the field to pip Obikwelu on the line in 9.85 to take the title of the “World’s Fastest Man”. Obikwelu’s silver-medal winning effort was just 1/100th second behind, while Greene’s 9.87 equalled his gold medal performance from Sydney.