Doucouré - a new start

At the Athens Olympics, the sprint hurdles competitions at 100m and 110m were again unpredictable and in dramatic circumstances there fell the medal pretensions of several of the world’s very best - Perdita Felicien, Gail Devers and Allen Johnson.

A less well known name, Ladji Doucouré of France also experienced a similar fate. Yet it was perhaps all the worst for the 21-year-old who had emerged through the qualifying rounds of Olympic competition from relative world obscurity to become a crowd favourite. As the finalists assembled on 27 August, he was much more than just an outside bet for gold, let alone the minor podium positions.

Doucouré was the fastest qualifier in each round, reducing his personal best to a French record of 13.18 in the heats, and then down further to 13.06 in the semi-final. But then the following day after hitting hurdles he saw the gold medal fly away on the heels of Chinese Liu Xiang’s World record equalling 12.91 run. For the Frenchman it was a matter of triumph turning to disaster, a personally good Olympics to bad, in a period of just 13 seconds.

"What is this man doing?"

Occupying the 8th lane of the first heat of the 110m Hurdles at the Athens Olympics on 24 August, Doucouré, took up his unusual and curious position in the blocks, low hips and head up, staring at the first hurdle. In an effortless race, he broke the old national record held by Stéphane Caristan, which at the time had been a European record.

Quadruple World champion and 1996 Olympic gold medallist Allen Johnson, was one of the major sceptics about this starting technique when he first saw the young French phenomenon compete in 2003, and the American was not alone in this opinion.

“What is this man doing”, was the criticism which Doucouré’s coach Renaud Longuèvre, used to regularly face. The answer he explains is quite straightforward, “with his long leg (98cm for a body height of 1.83m), Ladji has problems achieving efficient strides (out of the blocks) in the acceleration phase. Also, his back (right) leg used to bump against the ground when he took his first step. So we found a solution by straightening up his upper body. He also needed a visual indicator in order to adjust his 8 first steps and not hit the first hurdle.”

”However,” adds Longuèvre, “Ladji’s start technique fits the biomechanical criteria for efficiency as when he leaves the blocks, his ankle, knee, hips and shoulders are exactly in the same line. We just found another way to do it.”

After an easy 13.23 in quarter-final, Doucouré crossed the semi-final finish line in 13.06, something nobody could have expected before the Games.

He had started his 2004 season late due to illness. His winter programme had been intensive with a trip in USA and indoor competitions to meet Americans, a tactic used by Doucouré’s predecessors Caristan (1986 European champion) and 1976 Olympic Champion Guy Drut before their respective championship winning feats.

Doucouré opened his year outdoors in late June in Villeneuve-D’Ascq with 13.50, but was only 0.09 behind the rising Chinese star Liu Xiang. The Frenchman had only four further meets before the Olympics: Lausanne (13.40), Nationals (13.25w), a false start disqualification in Saint-Denis, and a 13.55 in Zürich. But with the high motivation of the Olympics, all his technical problems were solved in Athens.

"Just need to put this race out of my head"

The level of the Olympic final was unprecedented, as 13.34 was the slowest of the qualification times. Doucouré held a tenth of a second advantage over his opponents based upon their times in Athens but as the gun sounded he produced the slowest reaction time, 0.204, while Liu was the quickest away (0.139).

However, while Doucouré was in 7th position at the first hurdle, he was fifth by the 5th hurdle, and second at the 8th hurdle.

”I took all the risks,” recalls Ladji, “I wanted to win”.

Unfortunately, the risks were just too great and his incredible surge found an end when he hit the 9th hurdle and he met disaster on the last hurdle, and stumbled across the line last in 13.76.

”Actually,” explained Ladji, “the real problem came at the start. There was a false start and during the second start, my legs moved slightly on the blocks. I thought the judge saw it. It brought back the memory of my disqualification in Saint-Denis and I lost my concentration. I just needed to put that race out of my head.”

Injury concerns

But Doucouré didn’t only lose a medal in the last two hurdles, he also injured his right knee, and had to take three months off to recover.

Injury has been a common feature of his career. In his early teens, while football was still his favourite sport, Ladji broke his tibia bone. “Even now, when I’m tired, my left foot turns upwards.” The psychological trauma of the injury finalised his decision to move him from the grass field on to the synthetic track, much to the joy of his Malian father and Senegalese mother.

Youth and Junior success

Nicknamed ‘little Ladji’, this thin guy started athletics without any noticeable skill but at age 15 he suddenly grew up and transformed into a multi-talented athlete who won World Youth and European Junior titles at 110mH and Decathlon respectively. With such Personal Bests as 100m 10.48, 400m 46.82, Long Jump 7.82, Javelin Throw 52.83 and 1500m 4:27 set some years ago, Ladji naturally expects to give his career at the top of world athletics another try after he is back to full-fitness.

Doucouré went back into training on 18 October, and will move to the warmer climate of Orlando, Florida from 10 January to 17 February 2005 for training camps and a few indoor meets, and is looking forward to Madrid, Spain in March 2005 where he will contest the European Indoor Championships.

Pierre-Jean Vazel for the IAAF