Richardson crowned hurdle king amid Robles drama

Dayron Robles was yesterday stripped of his world 110m hurdles title for obstruction, American Jason Richardson handed gold after a nerve-wracking race.

In another day of high drama at the World Championships, just 24 hours after Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt was disqualified for a false start, Robles made the fatal error of hitting rival Liu Xiang twice with his arm with the finish line in sight.

The contact made Liu check his stride into the final hurdle, which he then stumbled off after hitting it with his trailing knee.

The IAAF promptly disqualified Robles for obstruction, and rightly rejected a Cuban counter-appeal.

Robles, the world record holder, was initially credited with having won the race that brought together the three fastest men of all time in the event (Robles, Liu and American David Oliver) for the first time.

The Cuban shot out of the blocks and was immediately up on Oliver, but he faded midway through the race and had to rely on a quite amazing lift-off from his landing step on the final hurdle to edge out Richardson.

But the contact had been made, and Robles was disqualified, Richardson taking gold, Liu silver and Britain’s Andy Turner bronze.

“I wish that under different circumstances Dayron Robles could have kept his gold medal,” said Richardson.

“But rules are rules.”

Pistorius heartbreak

In front of a packed Daegu Stadium, there was also heartbreak for Oscar Pistorius, making history as the first amputee to compete at the World Championships.

The South African, who runs with carbon fibre prosthetic running blades, timed 46.19sec in his semi-final to finish 22nd out of 24 runners.

“My goal was to make the semi-final and I did that,” said Pistorius.

“I’m a realist so for me to make the final... well I wasn’t running close to those times.”

There was more disappointment in the women’s 400m when American 200m champion Allyson Felix, in her quest for a 200-400m double, could only finish with silver behind Amantle Montsho, winning a first ever world medal of any colour for Botswana.

Felix’s team-mate Carmelita Jeter held off a strong field to claim gold in the women’s 100m.

Jeter was locked with defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica right through until the line.

The American eventually prevailed in 10.90sec, but Fraser-Pryce missed out on a podium after being trumped by late showings from Jamaica’s 2005 world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.97sec) and Trinidad’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste (10.98).

In the field, Valerie Adams, of New Zealand, retained her world shot title in emphatic fashion and there was a welcome return to form for Japan’s 2004 Olympic champion Koji Murofushi in the men’s hammer.

Poland’s Pawel Wojciechowski won the men’s pole vault title with a best of 5.90m on countback from Cuban Lazaro Borges, Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie taking bronze (5.85m).