News13 Sep 2006


Momentum with Periklis as Athens approaches - World Cup

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Greek gold for Periklis Iakovakis in Gotheburg (© Getty Images)

Two years ago it was Fani Halkia who electrified Athens Olympic Stadium with her dramatic victory in the 400m Hurdles. As the Athletics world converges on Athens once again this weekend, another Greek full lap hurdler will try to steal the show when he makes his final appearance of the year.

“I think that everybody right now will try to beat me,” said Periklis Iakovakis, after his win at last weekend’s World Athletics Final. “To stop my (momentum) at the moment. We will see.”

The 27-year-old certainly has the finest momentum in his event at the moment. After his commanding victory at the European Championships in Gothenburg last month, Periklis followed up with a scintillating 47.92 win in Zurich and another victory in Monaco two days later, before his triumph in Stuttgart where he equalled his clocking from Zurich.

“I had a really good rhythm inside my mind, the sense for the hurdles, for the pace, the race, for everything,” he said in Stuttgart. “And that worked perfectly on the track.”

It seems to have been working quite adequately all season as well. The World Junior champion in 1998, Periklis began to deliver on that promise he showed as a teen with a surprise bronze medal at the 2003 World championships, improving to 48.17 that year. He reached the semi-finals at the 2004 Olympics and 2005 World championships, and finally found the consistency he’d been seeking in 2006.

In just his second race of the year, he dipped under 48 seconds for the first time, lowering his national record to 47.82 in Osaka, finishing second to World champion Bershawn Jackson. In his following nine competitions, he won all but three, again finishing second to Jackson in each.

He returned the favor at both Zurich and Stuttgart, but refuses to accept that he is currently the event’s No. 1.

“Zurich was just like a big final, the best were there,” he said after the Swiss meeting, “And I’m verry pleased about the result. There is nothing more than a Golden League. It’s an important meeting. But it’s not a World championship and it’s not an Olympic Games.”

“Of course it was a boost,” he added. “I knew that Bershawn wouldn’t be in his best shape because he had an injury problem in the hamstring in the end of July, and I could suppose that he would be 95 percent, more or less. I did my race, and I won, and that’s it.”

His biggest thrill of the year came when winning the European title, he said, but admitted that he was a little disappointed with his performance.

“I was in my best shape ever in my life, but I just made a mistake and I ran very hard the first 300,” he said. “I was ready to run very, very fast in Gothenburg. I was ready to run a national record. Easy 47 seconds. I just didn’t react the way I should have in the race.”

Competing on the track that hosted the last Olympic Games, Periklis said that his season finale is a a very important one. Is he ready to go faster in Athens?

“I know that I am in good shape,” he said. “You never know. Your body knows that you’re in good shape, but you never know when it could explode and run something very very, fast.”

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

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