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Sally Pearson and Usain Bolt stole the Daegu world track and field championships in back-to-back finals overnight. Aussie Pearson stopped the clock at 12.28 for the 100 hurdles, the fastest time in the world for 11 years, the fourth fastest of all-time – setting a new world championship, Commonwealth, Oceania and Australian record.
Her time would have won gold at every Olympics Games.
The three faster times were all set in the late 1980s by two Bulgarians – Yordana Donkova, and Ginka Zachortseva, at 12.26, 12.25, and 12.21 – all of them a bit suspect in an era of unprecedented drug-taking that was undetectable, at the time.
No worries about Jamaican Bolt, desperate to erase the nightmare of breaking in the 100 final, left a crack 200 field in his slipstream with 19.30, also the fourth fastest of all-time, all of them Bolt’s – but well outside his world record of 19.19.
Two superb performances to finish day eight of competition. It’s hard to imagine they will be topped by tomorrow night when the championships come to a close.
For Pearson, it was the ultimate. Bolt has already been there done that.
Pearson won silver at the Beijing Olympics behind American Dawn Harper, but gave every indication that was just an entree to the main meal.
In the lead-up to Daegu, Pearson was unbeaten in 16 races, fine-tuning her technique by snapping her lead leg down as close to the hurdle as possible to maintain momentum – speed has never been a problem.
Last night it all clicked, Sally Pearson became the consummate hurdler, beating a world-class field by a staggering two metres.
Major finals over short distances are usually won in 1/100ths, or 2/100ths, of a second – Pearson won by 19/100ths.
And to put that in perspective, second-placed Daniella Carruthers ran a PB of 12.47, as did third-placed Olympic champion Fraser, who also clocked in at 12.47.
Food for thought.
Gold Coast gold medal winning Sally is only 24, with enough speed to be a 100 flat sprinter as well in the mould of American Gail Devers in the 90s – twice Olympic gold in the 100, and four times world champion over the 100 hurdles. Gail was still winning medals at 40, and a mother.
And it’s Usain Bolt who keeps giving opponents a mother and father of a hiding.
Last night it was by three metres, 30/100ths faster than second-placed Walter Dix, and 50/100ths faster than Christophe Lemaitre, who set a new French record 19.80, the first time he’s cracked the 20 second barrier.
Is there any limit to what this happy-go-lucky lightning bolt can achieve?
He’s smashed the 100 world record from 9.72 to 9.58 – the 200 from 19.32 to 19.19. Almost too hard to comprehend, even though we’ve all seen it on television umpteen times.
But no athlete is history has carved such huge chunks off world records, especially over the sprints.
Maybe Daegu is the entree to the main meal at London 2012, where Sally Pearson and Usain Bolt will do as they did last night, steal the Olympic Games track with some more stunning performances
Bring it on.