Daegu a heartbreaker for many athletes

Robles joins the list of Worlds disappointments


DAEGU -- They sat together at the doping control room when the surprising news came.

Dayron Robles, the world record holder and Olympic champion, thought he had won the Worlds title after crossing the line first in men’s 110-meter hurdles final on Monday, until his friend and rival Liu Xiang came to him and said: “You’re disqualified.”

“He didn’t believe, so I said ‘Yes, it’s on TV,’” said the Chinese hurdler at the news conference held at midnight following a protest and counter-protest of the final result on Monday.

Cuban hurdler Robles, who had been the first to cross the line in 13.14, was stripped of gold and glory at the world athletics championships on Monday night, handing victory to Jason Richardson, who came second in 13.16. Liu, third across the line in 13.27, was elevated to the silver medal and Andrew Turner took the bronze in 13.44.

“I felt like someone touched my arm and I lost my balance for a while,” Liu said through an interpreter.

The two were running alongside in lanes ahead of others until the final hurdle when the Cuban hit the Chinese athlete’s arm. And Liu, who later said he believed he could have won the race, lost his balance, finishing third behind Robles and Richardson.

“It happens all the time in the competitions, so I am okay with everything that happened tonight,” Liu said.

“I wish it had been a drama-free race. It’s a bittersweet experience. It’s never good when someone as talented as Dayron gets disqualified,” said the new world champion Richardson.

It is one of several surprises to have taken place at this year’s World Championships.

The biggest shock came on the second day of competition when Usain Bolt, reigning Olympic and world champion, was disqualified in men’s 100m final after a false start.

Earlier that day, another dramatic result came in men’s 10,000 meters as Kenenisa Bekele, who tallied a record total of 22 World Championships golds and had never lost a 10,000 race, suffered his first defeat after limping off the track during the competition.

On Monday in the women’s 400m final, Amantle Montsho also surprised the crowd and her country by winning Botswana’s first ever gold medal at the World Athletics Championships, overcoming a stellar field that included three-time 200m world champion Allyson Felix as well as the reigning champion Sanya Richards to win the title in a new national record of 49.56 seconds.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@haraldm.com)