Upsets and upprodctivity vexing worlds

By Kang Seung-woo

A string of upsets and no world record have made the headlines at the 13th World Championships in Athletics in Daegu.

Midway through the biennial competition, favored high-profile athletes have flopped, while the event has seen just one tied championship record.

The unexpected results started on the first day in the men’s pole vault.

Australian pole vaulter Steve Hooker, the reigning Olympic and world champion, showed he had not fully recovered from a nagging knee injury, bowing out of the championships early in the competition.

“I had no confidence in what I was doing out there,” said Hooker, who failed to clear a height of 5.50 meters in the qualifying round.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, hailed as the biggest draw in the championships, followed suit in the most-hyped event, the men’s 100 meters on Sunday.

Bolt, who appeared to be in a league of his own en route to the final, was eliminated because of a false start, sending athletics circles into shock. Afterwards, the newly-introduced rule on false start that disqualifies any athlete who jumps the gun raised endless questions and debate.

Along with Bolt, false starts was what cost British sprinters Dwain Chambers in the men’s 100 meters and Christine Ohuruogu in the women’s 400 meters their shot at the medals.

Ethiopia's long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele had claimed four straight world titles dating back to 2003 heading into the men’s 10,000 meters, but failed to finish the race, limping off the track mid-race.

With the 100 meters final an anti-climax, the men’s 110-meter hurdles was thrust into the limelight thanks to its stellar roster featuring the three fastest runners in history ― Dayron Robles of Cuba, Liu Xiang of China and David Oliver of the United States. But less-heralded U.S. hurdler Jason Richardson stole the show, winning gold, as Robles was disqualified for holding Liu back over the final hurdles.

Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia became another piece of the wacky championships’ puzzle Tuesday night.

The iconic pole vaulter, who has two Olympic gold medals and as many world titles, was resigned to sixth place after finishing the competition with a clearance of 4.65 meters, 20 centimeters short of the winning vault by Brazil’s Fabiana Murer.

Along with star athletes’ failures, the crowds have been starved of record-breaking performances.

Since starting Saturday, the track and field meet hasn’t witnessed a single world record and only New Zealand’s Valerie Adams managed to equal a world championships record on her way to the third straight world title in the women’s shot put.

Since its beginning in 1983, only three events, hosted by Athens in 1997, Edmonton in 2001 and Osaka in 2007, have failed to produce a new world record.

The event organizers made efforts to help athletes, especially the sprinters, by laying a Mondo track, known to produce fast times.

But the hot and oppressive weather in Daegu has negatively affected the athletes’ chances of setting new records.