by Stuart WeirWhat a difference five weeks make. Stuart Weir understands that, as he sees these athletes all season long. Andrew Pozzi just won the World Indoor title at the 60 meter hurdles, and Ron Levy did not have a great day.
Move to April 10, and Jamaican Ron Levy has a fantastic day in the 110 meter hurdles. Andrew Pozzi had a rough day at the office.
Here is how Stuart Weir saw the 110 meter hurdles.
Ron Levy, photo by PhotoRun.net
110m hurdles
Andrew Pozzi went into the Commonwealth Games 110m hurdles final with high expectations. He had won the World Indoor 60m hurdles title last month. He was the fastest in the semi-finals. It all went well to the first hurdle.
“After hitting the first hurdle”, he said, “I just tried to stay calm and recover. I felt like I did a reasonable job but when I got to halfway, I was just rushing the hurdling rather than doing it properly and ultimately it meant I got a bit close to some. It just wasn’t good enough. Timing and rhythm is everything in hurdles and you just can’t get away with making mistakes”. He finished sixth in 13.53.
Ronald Levy, on the other hand, was only the third fastest qualifier for the final with 13.35 in the semi-final but in the final he delivered a 13.19 to take Commonwealth gold.
In the world indoors last month Levy had finished as ninth fastest with eight qualifying for the final, running 7.62. The previous week he had won the IAAF Indoor Muller Grand Prix in Glasgow, beating Pozzi (third) and Aries Merritt (second). I spoke to him after the Glasgow race, commenting that once he was in the lead no one looked like catching him. His answer was simple and to the point: “I am very fast!”
He first came to the world’s attention when he won the 2017 Paris Diamond League with a PR of 13.05. Ironically, it was Diamond League race with prelims and a final. He was eighth fastest in the prelim, taking 8th place by 5 thousandths of a second. Then he wins the “final”!
MVP Track Club head coach, Stephen Francis said of the Paris win: “I was not happy with his performance at the national championships, but I think he recognized his mistakes and did much better today.”
Because of the timing of the medal ceremony, Levy was rushed past the journalists today and only said: “I felt I went pretty good. I got a good run and went really well.” Generously he added: “Really happy with the results, happy with Hanie Parchment’s medal also.”
So a 1-2 in the men’s sprint hurdles – and without their number 1, Omar McLeod too! It will be interesting to see how the season progresses in this event as the French and Americans go head to head with the Jamaicans over the hurdles.
