Daegu Day 8:Hoodoo, schmoodoo: Sally smashes curse

Sally Pearson blasted her opposition in the 100 metres hurdles final and the curse of the program cover out of existence in the highlight of day nine of the world championships.

A stunning semi-final of 12.36, followed by a stupendous final of 12.28, took Pearson to the gold medal she could well have had two years ago in Berlin had she not hurt her back a few days before the heats.

Fifth then, Pearson leapt to equal-fifth on the world all-time performers’ list with her semi-final run, and to fourth with her championships record in the final. She also produced two near-flawless runs – three if you count yesterday morning’s heat of 12.53 – and gave her rivals on the road to London plenty to think about.

For seven of eight days, being on the cover of the daily program has been a harbinger of disaster. Whenever the editorial team has had a choice of cover subjects – which excludes women’s 20km walk day when there was only one event – it has invariably ended in disaster for the subject.

To the horror of some, Pearson was on the cover today. Well, if it cost her anything, I’d like to have seen what she would have run had she not been. Whatever happens tomorrow, the curse can now be laid to rest. RIP.

The morning started with the wonderful sight of Nathan Deakes apparently turning back the clock. Seventeen kilometres into the 50km walk, there the 2007 champion was – out in front, pulling away from Sergey Bakulin of Russia, heading for a medal. Probably gold.

Then, disaster, Deakes was struck by a series of hamstring cramps. He surrendered the lead. He stopped several times to stretch. Finally, he could go no more.

Jared Tallent had a dog of a Sunday morning last week in the 20km, finishing way back in the high 20s.

Six days later, however, he was back walking a beautifully judged race. From behind the chasing pack at the half-way point, he emerged  to move into second place soon after 35km. Two minutes behind Bakulin at one point, he started making inroads past 40km.

Perhaps the effort, or the possibility it might succeed, got to Tallent. In any case, he faltered in the last 2km, losing the silver medal to Denis Nizhegorodov of Russia.

Luke Adams was fifth, his fifth top-eight Olympic or world championships top-8 finish without ever getting a medal. What a model of consistency he has been.

On to the night, and Pearson. Richard Colman also got a gold medal for Australia in the T54 wheelchair men’s 400 metres.

But the night belonged to Pearson, and Usain bolt. There were those who questioned the great man after his ‘dq’ in the 100. Was it really a ‘default’, they whispered, in the knowledge that teammate Yohan Blake would have won anyway.

Suddenly there were hundreds, no thousands, of people who had not only heard of, but actually seen a session at which Blake allegedly out-ran Bolt repeatedly off blocks.

Not sure where those thousands were when Bolt ran 19.40 to win the 200, a time which seems moderate only when measured against his world records of 19.19 and 19.30, and Michael Johnson’s 19.32.

It was sensational: Bolt came off the turn as if out of a slingshot and Walter Dix, who have been vaguely on terms, was suddenly huffing and puffing with no house to blow down.

Still, Dix took his second individual sprint silver in 19.70 and young Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre took third in 19.80, a national record and personal best by 0.36.

On to the 1500, where Asbel Kiprop has always been a man seemingly on the wrong side of history. He is, of course, Olympic champion, but he never got to celebrate that win because Rashid Ramzi, subsequently disqualified for a doping infraction, was first across the line in Beijing.

Until Saturday night, Kiprop’s attempts to win the world 1500 have been marked mostly by bizarre tactics. This time, though, he shot through on the inside of teammate Silas Kiplagat just before the 200 mark and scooted away to a 3:35.69 to 3:35.92 win.

Young American Matt Centrowitz stormed home to the bronze in 3:36.08. Three seconds covered the 12 finalists in an exciting race.

So one more day to go. Men’s marathon, men’s 5000, women’s 800. Should be some more excitement there.