Two Don’t Fall Apart…Pemki Ball Wins Women’s 400m Hurdles
“I’m happy with the results,” said Pemki Voll (23, Netherlands), who also finished third at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and second at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
But the feeling of accomplishment that comes with gold is different. The joy was even greater because it was her first major title after a major setback.
Ball ran a dominant race to win the women’s 400m hurdles final in 51.70 seconds at the World Athletics Championships 2023 at the Budapest National Stadium in Hungary on Friday (July 25).
The “heavy favorite” took an early lead, and the rest of the field seemed to be in a “battle for second.
Seymour Little (28-USA) was second in 52.80 and Russell Clayton (28-Jamaica) was third in 52.81. It was Russell’s first podium finish in eight years since Beijing 2015 (second) and Clayton’s first in four years since Doha 2019 (third).
Ball, who became the first Dutchwoman to medal in the women’s 400-meter hurdles last year in Eugene (second), became the first Dutch champion in the event this year.
She also won bronze in Tokyo, giving Dutch athletics its first Olympic medal in the women’s 400-meter hurdles.
“Ball has the misfortune of living in the era of Sydney McLaughlin (24-USA),” the Dutch media lamented.
McLaughlin won both the Tokyo Olympics and the World Championships in Eugene with world records.
However, McLaughlin announced that she would be competing in the 400m flat rather than the 400m hurdles at this year’s World Championships in Budapest and withdrew from the event altogether shortly before the start, citing a “minor knee injury”.
McLaughlin holds the first and second fastest women’s 400-meter hurdles times in history (50.68 and 51.41). Ball holds the third-best time (51.45).
After the race, Ball told the Associated Press and World Athletics, “I knew a lot of people were calling me the favorite. “I knew a lot of people were calling me the favorite, but you never know what’s going to happen during a race,” he said. “I’ve learned from this meet that it’s a lot of pressure to be in the spotlight as the favorite.
Some bad luck on the first day of the Games, on Sept. 19, also took its toll on Ball.
Ball was the last Dutch runner in the mixed 1,600-meter relay and led until five meters before the finish line. A world record was within reach.
However, American Alexis Holmes (23-USA) gave chase, and Ball fell just before the finish line.
The United States won with a world record time of 3:08.80.
Ball lost the baton in her fall. She got up and crossed the finish line, but was unable to regain control of the baton, so the Netherlands was “disqualified.
At the time, Ball said, “I think the fatigue built up during the morning heats and afternoon finals. I felt like I was slower than usual before the finish line, and I started to cramp. The moment I realized someone was behind me, I collapsed to the ground,” he recalls, tearing up with remorse for his teammates.
Encouraged by her teammates, Ball got back up and ran a dominant race in the 400-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line first.
“After I fell in the relay, I got a lot of encouragement from my teammates, coaches, and fans. They told me, ‘This is just the first race. Let’s get ready for the next one,'” said Ball. “I was happy with my results at the Tokyo Olympics and the World Championships in Eugene, but it’s a different feeling to win today. I’ve improved, and I’m finally a world champion,” he said, beaming.
Danielle Williams (30-Jamaica) regained the top spot in the women’s 100-meter hurdles after an eight-year absence.
The women’s 100-meter hurdles final was one for the history books.
Williams crossed the line in 12.43, beating Jasmine Camacho-Queen (27-Puerto Rico) by 0.01 seconds in 12.44. Third-place finisher Kendra Harrison (30-USA) was clocked at 12.46.
Defending champion Toby Amusan (26-Nigeria), the world record holder in the event (12.12), was sixth in 12.62. Amosan was suspended for an alleged violation of the Anti-Doping Agency for Unannounced Monitoring (ADAMS) rule, but was granted a stay of execution and competed in this event.
Williams, who won her first world championship gold medal eight years after Beijing in 2015, said: “I ran with some amazing athletes, including the Tokyo Olympic champion (Camacho-Queen), the runner-up (Harrison) and the world record holder. “It’s an unbelievable result,” he said, adding, “I’ve had a tough time getting back to this point after winning in 2015, with injuries and everything, and I’m proud of myself for sticking with it.
Antonio Watson (21-Jamaica) won the men’s 400 meters final in 44.22, ahead of Mashu Hudson-Smith (28-UK) in 44.31.
It has been 40 years since a Jamaican athlete won the men’s 400 meters at a World Championships since 1983 in Helsinki.
“I’m proud to come back to Jamaica with the gold medal,” Watson said.
Miltiadis Tentoglou (25-GRE) won the men’s high jump final with a leap of 8.52 meters, beating Wayne Pinnock (22-JAMA), who cleared 8.50 meters, by two centimeters.
Tentoglou, who has topped the podium at the Olympics (Tokyo 2021), World Indoor Championships (Belgrade 2022) and Diamond League Finals (2022), also won the coveted outdoor world title.
“This is the gold I really wanted,” Tentoglu said. I knew I had to run over 8.50 meters to win. As expected, Pinnock made a good decision and I did my best,” he said, adding, “Now I’m the one who has to defend the title at every competition.”
Wang Jianan (26-China), who won last year’s World Championships in Eugene, pushing Tentoglu to second place, 카지노사이트킴 did not make the podium this time, finishing fifth in 8.05m.