Daegu Wrap-Day 3: Dayron Robles, Amantle Montsho and Carmelita Jeter

Today was yet another eventful day at the World Championships. This time the drama came from the men's 110 hurdles. After a mouthwatering race that saw Olympic Champion Dayron Robles get the better of his competitors, the Cuban was eventually denied the gold

Robles finished in 13.14, just ahead of US hurdler Jason Richardson in 13.16 , followed by Liu Xiang 13.27 . However, in a controversial decision, meet officials disqualified Robles for interfering with Xiang. Several reports say Robles grabbed/pushed Xiang in the latter part of the race, causing the Chinese star to slow down. Watching the replay it's obvious that there was some form of contact, whether it was intentional though, is another matter entirely...You be the judge.
Richardson was eventually awarded the gold and Xiang the silver.

Epic 400m Battle between Montsho and Felix

Amantle Montsho

For me, the women's 400m final was the most exciting race of the day. In an epic battle, Amantle Montsho prevailed over Allyson Felix to win in a national record of 49.56, giving Botswana its first ever gold medal at the world championships. Both athletes had a fairly strong start and were even at the final bend. Then with about 80 metres to go, Montsho somehow surged ahead. By this point, I honestly thought the race was a wrap but to the delight of the audience, Felix matched Montsho stride for stride and barely missed out on the gold.

Montsho must be commended for maintaining her composure and fighting for the win. Though Felix's plan for double gold have been thwarted, she can still pat herself on the back for earning a new personal best of 49.59sec. Well done.

Jeter finally wins Gold

Carmelia Jeter

If the men's 100m was a bit lackluster, the women's equivalent made up for it with full on fireworks. After so many near misses in previous championships, Carmelita Jeter finally earned her first major title. Jeter got a decent start and powered to the line in 10.90sec. By the 50 metre mark it seemed she was battling it out with defending champion Shelly ann Fraser Pryce and T&T's Kelly-Ann Baptiste, however Veronica Campbell Brown came through in the last 25 metres to grab the silver in 10.99

When I re-watched the race, the fact that VCB even managed to medal attests to the type of athlete she is. That start was FATAL, she ran her heart out to catch that field. Baptiste held on for 3rd and earned her country's first medal in the women's sprint. An interesting tidbit is all three Jamaican's had the slowest reaction times in the race. It makes you wonder if Usain's false start was weighing on their minds. Today though belongs to Jeter, she showed grit and determination and walked away the champion. Congratulations.