by RBR AdminNatalya Antyukh just missed the Olympic record for 400 meters hurdles in her battle with LaShinda Demus. They just missed the Olympic record in that gripping final. Here, Alfonz Juck gives us the behind the scenes info for August 8, 2012….
EME NEWS (AUG 8, 2012)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
„I was thinking of retiring after the Games. But now running so fast and close to the world record I will continue for one more season for the World Championships in Moscow and also try to break the world record,” Natalya Antyukh after winning the 400 m hurdles.
RESULT OF THE DAY
Aries Merritt two sub 13 times within 2 hours. It is also new WL and PB and his fourth final sub 13 in a row. Second best time in the history of the Olympic Games. He was also the first to clock two legal sub 13 times during one evening within two hours (12.94 equaled fastest semi ever). Richardson did twice 12.98 at Olympic Trials this year (semifinal and final, 2:20 hrs in between).
SURPRISE OF THE DAY
Jamaican Hansle Parchment improving twice the Jamaican record at 110m hurdles and winning the first medal for his country at Olympic Games in this event.
FAVORITES FALLS
In hurdles Eurowinner Shubenkov and third US Porter out in semis. Robles injured in the finals. Title defender VCB fourth and 400 m winner SRR fifth in the superb 200 m field which will be tough to be assembled again. World champ Simpson out in 1500 m semis. Another world champ De Zordo no valid throw in javelin qualification.
SPECTATORS (EME guess, not official figures)
80 000 1st day morning and evening
75 000 2nd day morning and 80 000 evening
80 000 3rd day evening
80 000 4th day morning and evening
75 000 5th day morning and 80 000 evening
70 000 6th day morning and 80 000 evening
AGENTS RANKING (by gold medals)
Mark Wetmore 3, Jos Hermens, Pavel Voronkov and Ricky Simms 2, Czeslaw Zapala, Adrian Laidlaw, Daniel Wessfeldt, Tony Minichiello, John Regis, Enrico Dionisi, Attila Spiriev, Sharon Richards, Valentina Fedyushina, Renaldo Nehemiah, Tony Campbell, Aivar Karotamm, Ulf Saletti, Vera Michallek, Maurie Plant, Wes Felix, Mark Pryor, Ludmila Olijar each 1
BEIJING DEFENDERS
yes (4): Majewski, T. Dibaba (10k), Fraser-Pryce, Bolt (100)
no (22): K. Bekele (10k), Saladino, Borchin, B-Trafton, Dita, Dobrynska, L.Merritt, Kipruto, Kozmus, Ohuruogu, Taylor, M. Walker, Galkina, Adams, Isinbaeva, Kiprop, Silnov, Kanter, Harper, Maggi, Robles, Campbell-Brown
nc (6): Mbango, Bungei, N. Langat, Clay, Evora, K.Bekele (5k)
DAEGU WINNERS
yes (6): Kemboi, James, Zaripova, Harting, Pearson, Reese
no (22): Storl, V. Cheruiyot (10k), Borchin, Jeter, Li Yanfeng, Chernova, E. Kiplagat, Murer, Blake, Murofushi, Montsho, Saladukha, Greene, Adams, Kiprop, J. Williams, Wojciechowski, Richardson, Campbell-Brown, J. Simpson, Demus, De Zordo
nc (2): Jeylan, D. Phillips
WORLD LEADERS 2012 (12): Ennis hept, Bolt 100 m, Sanchez 400mH sf, James 400 m, Sanchez 400mH f, Zaripova steeple, Pearson 100h sf+ final, Merritt 110mH, Antyukh 400mH sf+ final, Vesely javelin qual
EUROPEAN LEADERS 2012 (4): Majewski shot put, Pavey 10k, Martina 100m, Bleasdale 5000 m
OLYMPIC RECORDS (4+4): 20 km walk men, marathon women, 3 heptathlon marks, 100 m men, 100m Hurdles wom, 1 decathlon mark
COMPARISON WINNING MARKS: London-Beijing 14:13 (27 events)
NATIONS:
Medals (change in the lead): USA 5-8-7, RUS 3-2-4, GBR 3-1-1, JAM 2-2-2, ETH 2-0-2, KEN 1-2-2, GER 1-2-0, (34 countries, + 1)
Points (Russia moving into 2nd): USA 200, RUS 78, JAM 65, GBR 60, ETH 58, KEN 54, GER 48, CHN 39 (58 countries, + 2)
STATS:
1500m semi: 4:01.03 is the 4th fastest semi time at Olympic 1500m. Only faster times are recorded in 1980 in first of two round scenario (heat & final).
W400mH: Zuzana Hejnova become the first World Youth Champion to win an Olympic medal. 52.70 is the second fastest time in Olympic Games, behind only 52.64 by Walker. It is also UK All comers record, replacing 52.79 by Spencer from 2011 52.77 by Demus is the fastest 2nd place time (fastest losing time) in OG, replacing 53.08 by Batten from 1996.
W200m: No three-peat for Veronica Campbell-Brown. So Bekele, Isinbayeva and now Campbell-Brown all failed to three-peat. For the second time US won two medals, first since 1984 when Brisco-Hooks and FloJo finished 1-2. Allyson has three medals at 200m, tying Szewinska for second most medal count at 200m; Ottey has four. The 100 m medalists ended in the same order, but not 1-2-3 but 2-3-4.
110mH First gold and silver for the US since 1996 (in 2000 & 2008 US won silver and bronze) . Aries Merritt become the first World Junior Champion to win Olympic gold medal
WLJ : 7.12m by Reese is 4th (tie) longest jump in the Olympics. 1cm difference between 3rd and 4th ties second smallest difference. For the first time in history of the event in the OG, US won two medals at WLJ. Reese became the third to win Olympics, World Champs and World Indoor Champs. Previously only Drechsler and Lebedeva have won all this three events.
OTHER NEWS
LANES: Usain Bolt has lane 7 in the 200 m final, in Beijing he had lane 5, in Daegu he was in lane 3 and Berlin lane 5 in the 200 m finals.
MERRITT: Former college athlete Aries Merritt might not be standing on the podium with an olympic Gold medal around his neck had his coach not noticed the way he jumped a fence at training one day.
JAVELIN: Vesely achieved world lead 88.34 in javelin qualification, but the best qualification mark has his coach, Jan Zelezny got 90.76 in Edmonton Worlds 2001 qualification. „I would want to throw that far in finals, but I feel confident, in training it was clear im in the shape of my life,” said Vesely.
200M: Only one US runner in the final of 200 m was last time in 1928 (not counting Moscow 1980). And Jamaica for first time 3 runners in the 200 m, last time two Jamaicans in 1976 in the 200 m final.
SEDOC: Dutch hurdler Gregory Sedoc told media he was not able to finish his semi final of the 110m hurdles due to an injury he sustained during the warm up. Sedoc added he is not planning to retire, even though it was announced his funding will end after the London Olympics.
200M: Churandy Martina is confident he can win a medal in tonight’s 200m final. Churandy, who is now run for The Netherlands, could win the country’s first athletics medal in London.
VISITORS: Visitors of the London Olympic Games have spent over 714 million dollar on their visa cards in the first week of the Olympics reports Insidethegames. The figures show a massive number of people have spent money dining out, nightclubbing and visiting tourist sites.
HARTING: Robert Harting told media after his Olympic victory that he is extremely relieved to have finalized his project of winning three gold medals in 365 days. Harting is not only the newly crowned Olympic discus champion but also the reigning European champion and world champion. After his belongings were stolen he was able to get new accreditation. His first post olympic meet should be the DKB Final in Neubrandenburg on August 19. His final was watched at the ZDF channel by 10 millions of tv-viewers.
BFH: 2009 100m hurdles world champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton has decided to retire after being in the sport professionally for 12 years. Foster-Hylton confirmed she had taken that decision at the beginning of the season and confirmed she had just run her last race when Jamaican reporters questioned her about her fall in the heats of the 100m hurdles.
SALAZAR: Alberto Salazar, coach of newly crowned 10.000m champion Mo Farah, claimed Farah is in even better shap
e for the 5.000m. Salazar aimed at removing any doubts whether Farah and Galen Rupp could have recovered enough from the 10.000m to be competitive in the 5.000m writes The Telegraph.
NIGERIA: Nigerian athletics coach Kola Adebayo told the Nigerian public not to panic about the lack of medals won by Nigeria at the Olympic Games and added Nigeria still has a chance for glory in the 4x100m and the 4x400m reports the Daily Trust.
DE ZORDO: World champion Matthias De Zordo announced he will end his season because of injuries and subsequent lack of training. „I wanted to throw 80 meters and I made fouls because i did not want to have something like 78 in the results connected with my name,” he explained.
YEGO: Kenyan javelin thrower will be for first time in the olympic final. Julius Yego achieved national record 81.81 in the qualification.
THURSDAY MORNING
4x400mRelay: 2:58.87 by BAH is the fastest first round time (in heat & final scenario) in history of Olympic Games. Also 2012 World lead. It is also UK All-Comers record. 3:02.86 is the slowest time that made the final. Jermaine Gonzales due to injury did not finish his leg and Jamaica was out. Offentse Mogawane could not bring the baton to Oscar Pistorius and South Africa was also out. Trinidad clocked NR. Bahamas ran in full composition, US has still Wariner and possibly Taylor ready for the final.
Splits: The fastest in heat 1 was Jonathan Borlee 44.1 for Belgium second leg and his brother Kevin 44.25 as anchor. In second heat Tony McQuay (US third leg) clocked 43.65 as the fastest. Second fastest 44.19 by Luguelin Santos as anchor of Dominican Republic (later the team disqualified).
HJ: 196 of Radzivil equals the best ever qualification result in this event.
Decathlon: Trey Hardee 13.54 PB in the 110m hurdles is the second best ever in decathlon after 13.47 of German Frank Busemann in 1996.
NON OLYMPIC
BIRMINGHAM: The Samsung Diamond League of Birmingham on August 26 announced top men high jump field with olympic winner Ivan Ukhov and bronze medalist Robbie Grabarz. Also in the field 2008 Olympic winner Andrey Silnov and 2011 world medalist Aleksey Dmitrik of Russia.
NORDERNEY (GER, Aug 7): At the traditional pole vault meet Michel Frauen cleared in strong wind 532 cm to win.
