ISTAF Berlin: Merritt Again Sub 13 seconds, by Alfons Juck, note by Larry Eder

Aries Merritt, photo by PhotoRun.net

This has been a very long season. Yet, in the last two weeks of this season, there will be some fun performances. Aries Merritt continues to shine, running 12.97, his, by my count, eighth time under 13 seconds, Merritt shows that he is at the top of his game. Reese Hoffa continues to show how tough he has been in the shot put since the London Olympics. Robert Harting, the 2012 Olympic champion, just won his 33rd straight competition.

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MERRITT AGAIN SUB 13

BERLIN (GER, Sep 2): 71st ISTAF (IAAF World Challenge) was seen by 55 565 spectators and registered new meet record by Olympic winner Aries Merritt 12.97 at 110 m hurdles (+1.2). It is his 7th sub 13 final in a row since early June at Pre Classic in Eugene. Also the other hurdles London hero Felix Sanchez was able to win here with 48.89 ahead of Jamaican Leford Green 49.06. From German stars Robert Harting ended his season on a winning note and extended his streak to 33 competitions. With 67.40 he beat Virgilijus Alekna (66.63) and Piotr Malachowski (66.17). Betty Heidler beat a top hammer field with 75.18. As in Dubnica Cuban Yipsi Moreno second 73.87, Anita Wlodarczyk third 73.80 and olympic winner Tatyana Lysenko fourth 72.39. Bjorn Otto as the only one cleared 578 in first attempt and won the pole vault ahead of Malte Mohr, Dmitriy Starodubtsev and Jan Kudlicka all 568. Top names Holzdeppe, Walker, Hooker and Mesnil no-heighted. Shot putter David Storl due to his injury did not register a valid throw and Reese Hoffa confirmed top post olympic shape with 21.37 win. Second olympic gold medalist Tomasz Majewski 21.31 and third Ryan Whiting 21.17. Small sensation in javelin as the African record holder Sunette Viljoen with 67.52 beat olympic winner Barbora Spotakova 66.83. Home London medalists followed (Obergfoll 62.57 and Stahl 62.51). The remaining olympic winner Greg Rutherford did not compete in the long jump (injury) and Russian Aleksandr Menkov won with 800 (+0.4) from third round. In sprints relay olympic winner Kemar Bailey-Cole equaled his 10.00 (+0.1) PB and confirmed that he is the man for future. Second Kim Collins 10.07 ahead of Jimmy Vicaut (10.12) and Darvis Patton (10.12). DL winner Mohamed Aman again confirmed his position with 1:43.62 win over another junior, Kenyan Edwin Melly 1:44.36 and Danish Andreas Bube 1:45.12. Great 1500 m (top ten under 3:36) saw Nixon Chepseba winning in 3:33.11 ahead of Bethwel Birgen 3:33.41 and Caleb Ndiku 3:33.43 and event fourth also Kenyan Collins Cheboi 3:33.58. Fifth German Florian Orth improved to 3:34.56, lifetime best also for US German Fernandez (3:34.60 as 7th) and Kenyan youth runner Hillary Ngetich (World junior silver winner) as 11th (3:36.43). In women races olympic bronze holder Kellie Wells was the best over the hurdles in 12.72 (0.0) and Kelly-Ann Baptiste at the 100 m (11.25,-0.5). 2008 olympic winner Pamela Jelimo won the 800 m in 1:58.68 ahead of Burundi junior Francine Niyonsaba 1:58.68 and PB for 1500 m DL winner Abeba Aregawi 1:59.39. Unlucky Zurich steepler Sofia Assefa won the race in 9:21.64 ahead of Lidya Chepkurui of Kenya 9:22.27. Organisers experimented with mixed 4×100 m relay won by Jamaica 40.58 (first two legs by women Kerron Stewart and Aileen Bailey followed by two males Mario Forsythe and Kemar Bailey-Cole) over USA 40.71 (Knight, Anderson, Patton, Spearmon).

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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