Page 18 - AT
P. 18

A18   SPORTS
                 Thursday 3 OcTOber 2019
            Sprinter wins for Britain and college star takes hurdles




                                                                                                                                ing for a re-run of the race,
                                                                                                                                or for Ortega to be allowed
                                                                                                                                to  compete  alone  to  see
                                                                                                                                where his time would place
                                                                                                                                him _ or for him to receive a
                                                                                                                                bronze medal.
                                                                                                                                A  few  hours  later,  the  jury
                                                                                                                                said Ortega had been im-
                                                                                                                                peded but denied the ap-
                                                                                                                                peal  nonetheless.  The  es-
                                                                                                                                sence  of  their  reasoning:
                                                                                                                                Hurdles is a contact sport.
                                                                                                                                “I  feel  very,  very  sorry
                                                                                                                                for  Ortega,  because  he
                                                                                                                                could’ve  won  a  medal,”
                                                                                                                                McLeod  said.  “But  that’s
                                                                                                                                life.”
                                                                                                                                And life couldn’t be much
                                                                                                                                better  for  Holloway,  who
                                                                                                                                looked semi-shocked when
                                                                                                                                he crossed the line ahead
                                                                                                                                of  Shubenkov,  then  did
                                                                                                                                what  any  good  University
                                                                                                                                of Florida athlete would do:
                                                                                                                                the Gator chomp.
                                                                                                                                Holloway  joined,  among
                                                                                                                                others,  triple  jumper  Chris-
                                                                                                                                tian  Taylor  and  400-meter
                                                                                                                                Olympic  champion  Kirani
                                                                                                                                James  as  winners  of  the
                                                                                                                                NCAA-worlds double.
                                                                                                                                None  had  been  in  a  race
                                                                                                                                like this.
                                                                                                                                “I didn’t see it but I heard a
            Dina  Asher-Smith,  of  Great  Britain,  runs  in  the  women's  200  meter  finals  at  the  World  Athletics  Championships  in  Doha,  Qatar,   lot of them _ bang, boom,
            Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019.                                                                                            boom,”  bronze  medalist
                                                                                                               Associated Press  Pascal   Martinot-Lagarde
                                                                                                                                said.  “I  just  stayed  on  my
            DOHA,  Qatar  (AP)  —  Most  Shelly-Ann     Fraser-Pryce  was  just  a  matter  of  time.  Olympics,  where  expecta-  line and ran my race.”
            of  the  prime  contenders  (tired),  two-time  defend-   Asher-Smith’s 21.88 _ good  tions will be higher, and the  So  did  Holloway,  who  still
            in  the  women’s  200  had  ing champion Dafne Schip-     for  a  .34-second  margin  field will almost certainly be  had  the  American  flag
            dropped  out  before  the  pers (injured), Olympic titlist  over   America’s   Brittany  deeper.  Asher-Smith  is  al-  draped  around  his  neck
            race  even  began.  In  the  Elaine  Thompson  (injured),  Brown  _  established  a  Brit-  ready looking ahead.    two hours after the race.
            men’s  110  hurdles,  the  fa-  and the 2019 world leader,  ish  national  record,  just  as  “Still  getting  stronger,  still  He  was  a  two-sport  star  in
            vorites waited to start tum-  Shaunae  Miller-Uibo  (run-  her  10.83  did  three  nights  learning  a  lot  more  physi-  high  school,  and  could’ve
            bling until they neared the  ning the 400), just to name  earlier in the 100, when she  cally  and  mentally,”  she  just  as  easily  have  played
            finish line.                 a few.                       finished  second  to  Fraser-  said. “So, hopefully, there’s  football as run track.
            Two gold medals. Two ways  When  the  eight-woman  Pryce.                              a lot more to come.”         “My coaches broke it down
            to win them.                 final  was  finally  set,  Asher-  Asher-Smith  joined  Linford  If  Asher-Smith’s  race  was  to me very simply: ‘Do you
            Dina  Asher-Smith  took  the  Smith  found  herself  listed  Christie  (1993)  as  only  the  expected, then Holloway’s  want to be in the NFL or do
            easier  road  Wednesday  as a 1-10 favorite at some  second British runner to win  victory was ... NASCAR?          you  want  to  be  an  Olym-
            to  become  Britain’s  first  of  the  sports  books  back  a sprint at world champion-  While Holloway was in Lane  pian?’ My heart was being
            female  sprint  world  cham-  home,  where  they  always  ships.                       6 vying for the lead with Ser-  an  Olympian,”  Holloway
            pion,  while  Grant  Hollo-  pay close attention to their  How  big  a  deal  was  this?  gey Shubenkov, defending  said.
            way outran the demolition  track stars.                   Well,  it  actually  got  loud  champion  Omar  McLeod  Chances are, he will be. As
            derby to his left to become  All of which made this feel  for  a  minute  after  Asher-  was  barreling  down  Lane  of Wednesday, he’s a track
            only the sixth man to cap-   like anything but a breeze.  Smith crossed the finish line  4  with  his  necklace  in  his  and field world champion _
            ture NCAA and world titles  “Normally  I’m  quite  chatty  at  the  half-full  Khalifa  In-  mouth, racing next to 2016  even if the race that made
            in the same year.            and  full  of  energy,  but  it’s  ternational Stadium. A few  Olympic silver medalist Or-  him one looked more like a
            “Those  barriers  don’t  care  a  different  thing  with  ev-  pockets  in  the  British  con-  lando Ortega.       football game.q
            about  your  body,”  Hollo-  eryone  saying  you’re  the  tingent  waved  the  Union  McLeod clipped the eighth
            way said. “They’re there to  favorite,” she said. “You’re  Jack,  clanged  cowbells  barrier, then the ninth, then
            slow you down. Our goal is  only  the  favorite  if  you  go  and  went  crazy  in  the  air-  completely  bit  it  after  the
            to  go  full-fledged  over  all  out and perform how peo-  conditioned  venue  that  10th.  But  as  he  was  war-
            10 of them.”                 ple expect you to.”          had  sounded  more  like  bling, his arm flailed in front
            Some  of  the  biggest  hur-  Using  her  trademark  fast  a  library  only  minutes  be-  of  Ortega,  who  was  clos-
            dles  facing  Asher-Smith  on  start,  Asher-Smith  blasted  fore,  while  Poland’s  Pawel  ing  in  Lane  5,  and  slowed
            her quest to make history in  out of the blocks in Lane 7  Fajdek was wrapping up his  down  the  Spaniard’s  late
            her home country had dis-    and  was  moving  past  the  fourth  straight  world  ham-  charge to keep him out of
            appeared before her race  outside  runners  and  into  mer throw gold.                 the medals.
            even  began.  The  200  field  a  three-step  lead  at  the  It will certainly be louder a  Early on Thursday morning,
            was missing 100 champion  150-meter  mark.  The  rest  year from now at the Tokyo  Spain filed an appeal, ask-
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