Liu through; Eaton eyes world mark
Source: Agencies |
March 11, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IN the absence of Olympic champion Dayron Robles, China's Liu Xiang has found a new obstacle on the way to another indoor hurdles world title - the starter.
Building on an opening day full of complaints in Istanbul about bad acoustics that dumbfounded some of the best sprinters in the world, Liu said yesterday he was forced to react to British rival Andy Pozzi next to him instead of the starter before making up ground and finishing second in his heat.
"I waited for the athlete on my right to go off to start," Liu said. "The starter speaks with a low voice and it was hard for me to understand his 'ready'."
Liu is working on a new start with one step less to the first hurdle to improve his opening and make up the early ground he usually gives to Cuban Robles, to whom he lost the 110-meter Olympic hurdles title in Beijing four years ago.
After Ukrainian Nataliya Dobrynska set a world record in the pentathlon with 5,013 points on Friday, Ashton Eaton was well on his way to match her feat in the heptathlon yesterday.
Already so far ahead that winning gold seems a formality, the American can now center on improving his world record of 6,568 points he set last year. With one of seven events left, he was 55 points ahead of the record pace with only the concluding 1,000 meters to go.
A time of two minutes, 39.63 seconds or better will give him the record. Considering his career best is 2:32.67, he is expected to win the US$90,000 prize coming with gold and a world record.
Eaton made his big move with a personal best of 8.16 meters in the long jump on Friday and maintained his record pace through the 60 hurdles and a pole vault of 5.20.
Eaton missed the world indoor championships two years ago but made up for it by setting his first world record that same weekend. The 24-year-old Eaton has 5,690 points, well ahead of Oleksiy Kasyanov of Ukraine with 5,224 and Artem Lukyanenko of Russia 5,148 points.
In the 60 dash, two-time Olympic 200 champion Veronica Campbell-Brown also bided her time in the starting blocks but had more than enough acceleration to cruise into the semifinals. "I don't want to complain about the starting gun," Campbell-Brown said. "I just stay focused."
The Jamaican is using the indoor season to try and win a third straight Olympic gold medal in the 200 meters. No woman has ever won three straight Olympic titles in athletics.
Besides Campbell-Brown, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva has a similar shot at Olympic fame. The Russian will be going for a fourth indoor title today.
Building on an opening day full of complaints in Istanbul about bad acoustics that dumbfounded some of the best sprinters in the world, Liu said yesterday he was forced to react to British rival Andy Pozzi next to him instead of the starter before making up ground and finishing second in his heat.
"I waited for the athlete on my right to go off to start," Liu said. "The starter speaks with a low voice and it was hard for me to understand his 'ready'."
Liu is working on a new start with one step less to the first hurdle to improve his opening and make up the early ground he usually gives to Cuban Robles, to whom he lost the 110-meter Olympic hurdles title in Beijing four years ago.
After Ukrainian Nataliya Dobrynska set a world record in the pentathlon with 5,013 points on Friday, Ashton Eaton was well on his way to match her feat in the heptathlon yesterday.
Already so far ahead that winning gold seems a formality, the American can now center on improving his world record of 6,568 points he set last year. With one of seven events left, he was 55 points ahead of the record pace with only the concluding 1,000 meters to go.
A time of two minutes, 39.63 seconds or better will give him the record. Considering his career best is 2:32.67, he is expected to win the US$90,000 prize coming with gold and a world record.
Eaton made his big move with a personal best of 8.16 meters in the long jump on Friday and maintained his record pace through the 60 hurdles and a pole vault of 5.20.
Eaton missed the world indoor championships two years ago but made up for it by setting his first world record that same weekend. The 24-year-old Eaton has 5,690 points, well ahead of Oleksiy Kasyanov of Ukraine with 5,224 and Artem Lukyanenko of Russia 5,148 points.
In the 60 dash, two-time Olympic 200 champion Veronica Campbell-Brown also bided her time in the starting blocks but had more than enough acceleration to cruise into the semifinals. "I don't want to complain about the starting gun," Campbell-Brown said. "I just stay focused."
The Jamaican is using the indoor season to try and win a third straight Olympic gold medal in the 200 meters. No woman has ever won three straight Olympic titles in athletics.
Besides Campbell-Brown, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva has a similar shot at Olympic fame. The Russian will be going for a fourth indoor title today.
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