by Larry EderFelix Sanchez won the World Champs in 2003. In 2004, Felix won the 400m hurdles on the largest stage of all.
Now, eight years later, Felix Sanchez woke everyone up in the semi finals, when he ran 47.74 and set an age 36 world best!
This is how he won the final!
Felix Sanchez, 2004 Athens Olympics, photo by PhotoRun.net
The race went out fast, very fast. Angelo Taylor, Javier Culson, and Kerron Clement went out very hard.
By the 200 meter mark, Culson, Taylor, Clement were flying. Micheal Tinsley, Dai Green were moving well, but they were really working on their finishes.
Felix Sanchez, the 2004 Olympic champion, was flying, really flying and came off the turn in the lead. Angelo Taylor and Javier Culson were together, as Kerron Clement, the 2007 and 2009 World Champ was falling back.
Felix Sanchez came off hurdle 8 in the lead and started pulling away, as no one could catch him and he ran a seasonal best of 47.63m. Micheal Tinsley came up from behind Angelo Taylor, who started to fall back at the ninth hurdle. Tinsley went by Taylor and then caught a fading Javier Culson, who was trying to catch Sanchez.
The pre emptive favorite, Javier Culson, just was not having a good day.
Dai Greene, the European 2010 championship and the 2011 World Championships, tried as he might, just was not able to catch up on his fitness and Greene finished fourth in 48.24.
Javier Culson took the bronze, running 48.10.
In the silver place, Michael Tinsley noted, ” I used to work on my finish, holding back a bit. For a while since college, I had been starting faster. My coaches and I discussed how to go back to my strong finish and that is what I have been working on.” Micheal Tinsley ran his race, a personal best of 47.91 for the personal best!
“The US did not write much about me. I do not believe that they thought I would be up here. I trained just as hard as those guys. After even winning the Olympic Trials, they did not say much about me.I used that to keep me training hard.
The USA Track & Field put us up in Birmingham for three weeks. I ran in the rain, cold, I was used to the weather. Heck if there would have been a blizzard, I would have shown up, I was ready for anything. Since I put on my first pair of spikes, I have wanted to be in the Olympics.” said Michael Tinsley. Well Michael, we sure won’t under expect from you ever again! Nice job!
In the gold medal, Felix Sanchez just ran a superb race. His wily veteran status, his strong hurdling, and his endurance gave him a day we all dream of. Felix noted, ” In Beijing I was unable to defend my title, I felt okay to trying to make a go. I got the news the morning of the first round, that my grandmother had died. I ran terribly. I made a promise that I was going to win a medal for her before I retired. I brought a picture of her, I wrote what I called her, Grandmother in spanish. I ran emotionally all week. You train so hard, you get to this moment. In fourteen years at a high level. You think of all those year, I made six straight finals in world championships, and ran same time I won with in Athens. When I got on medal stand, it was raining, and I felt that my Grandmother was crying. I started crying, it was very emotional.”
So, after fourteen years of finals, Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic wins his second gold medal in his Olympics. His grandmother should be very pleased.
M400mhurdles: 1. Felix Sanchez, DOM, 47.63,SB, 2. M. Tinsley, US, 47.91 PB, 3. J. Culson, PUR, 48.10, 4. D. Greene, GBR, 48.24, 5. A. Taylor, US, 48.25, 6.J. Gordon, TRI, 48.86,7. L. Green, JAM, 49.12, 8. K. Clement, US, 49.15, #london2012, #olympics, #400mhurdles
